From 22 years old girl to become the first female captain of Vietnam Airlines

March 8, meet the first female captain in the history of Vietnamese aviation

With her short, dynamic hair and pilot uniform, female captain Nguyen Ly Huong confidently leads the flight crew, making passengers at Tan Son Nhat airport look up.

Pilot Ly Huong is one of the first two female pilots in Vietnam. She is persistent, hard-working, and studies tirelessly. She is currently the captain of the A350 fleet of flight group 919, belonging to Vietnam Airlines .

In 2005, just after graduating from university, Ms. Ly Huong (from Lao Cai ) read the announcement of recruiting pilots of Vietnam Airlines. Having no idea about the job, only knowing that her dream was to fly a plane, the 22-year-old girl at that time was determined to seize the opportunity.

No one in the family is in the aviation industry, and her mother is a teacher, so she wants her daughter to work immediately after graduation instead of continuing her studies. After convincing her parents to let her pursue her dream, Ms. Huong finally received a nod of agreement.

Pilot Nguyen Ly Huong is currently the captain of Vietnam Airlines' A350 aircraft.

With a burning desire, the strong girl passed the rigorous health check to enter the aviation industry. "It is very difficult to enter this flying profession, so when I had the opportunity, I was determined to pursue my dream. I still remember the feeling of eagerness and excitement the first time I piloted an airplane on a 4-person training flight," the female pilot shared.

With this type of aircraft, the feeling is so real that when doing training movements, she also experienced dizziness and nausea... Not discouraged, she practiced to gradually get used to it and overcome the challenge.

In 2008, Ms. Ly Huong officially became one of the first two female pilots in Vietnam. Her commercial flight at that time was on an ATR72 aircraft with more than 70 passengers. After that, she switched to an A321 aircraft with a capacity of more than 200 passengers and in June 2021, the female captain began flying the A350 - the modern wide-body aircraft of the national airline.

Ms. Ly Huong is the first female captain in Vietnam.

Before being promoted to captain of the A350, the female pilot had 13 years of experience, meeting the requirements of accumulated flight hours, flight capacity through periodic tests, simulated flights, health tests, and English.

She confided: "From the first days of confusion, I was very happy and proud of myself when I achieved my dream. I get to do what I like, I am always happy to go to work. Whether I fly a plane carrying 70, 200 or more than 300 passengers, I feel the responsibility is the same, behind the wheel is my life. Before every flight, I prepare carefully, not subjective, ready in terms of health, absolutely focused like the first flight."

"Welcome passengers on board Vietnam Airlines, I am Nguyen Ly Huong, the captain announced from the cockpit. We are ready and our flight will depart in a few minutes. The weather we have received is relatively good. We wish you a pleasant flight."

From the cockpit, Captain Ly Huong announced to the passengers on the flight. Then, she turned to the right to discuss the weather situation and technical parameters of the flight with the Indian co-pilot. In handling the situation, she was always calm but still exuded courage and confidence.

Captain Ly Huong believes that women have many advantages when becoming pilots.

According to her, being a pilot is a job that does not allow for creativity, but requires high concentration and absolute compliance with safety regulations. When she was young, she admitted that there were times when she was impulsive and thought immaturely. Over time, she has become a different person, calm, patient, and objective in assessing everything around her.

Previously, people often thought that being a pilot was a job only for men. But after a period of practical experience, the female captain believes that women also have their own strengths in the flying profession because of their meticulousness, endurance, and willingness to learn.

"In 2008, when I started my career, Vietnam only had two female pilots. Now there are many female pilots, proving that this job is attractive. I am very happy and proud when I see young female pilots flying training flights, and then colleagues, sitting next to me in the cockpit," the female captain shared.

The female captain enthusiastically guides and shares experiences with the co-pilot.

Every job has its challenges. In the case of flying, it is the health requirements as pilots often have to deal with sudden changes in weather and work in dry, low-humidity environments.

On long flights, female pilots must wear sunglasses, apply sunscreen carefully and drink water continuously to increase metabolism. After work, she jogs, exercises at home, relaxes, gets enough sleep and eats nutritious food. Despite being so well-prepared, there was a time when Ms. Huong had a nosebleed due to the sudden change in weather after the flight from France to Vietnam.

The female captain has a dynamic and individual appearance.

No path is paved with roses, there are tests that female pilots cannot always pass immediately with high scores. During training, there were times when she could not handle things flexibly at first, but with high determination, through time of training and adaptation, she could master and handle all situations decisively.

"If others can do it, I can do it too," the female captain always thinks to encourage herself. "I'm quite optimistic, so I think if I can't get through it the first time, I can get through it the second time. Luckily, in my ten years of working, I've overcome every difficulty, and I've never been discouraged or disheartened with my job. I love my flying job very much," she says proudly.

What do pilots do on a flight?

That is the question of many people and you will be surprised to know that during the flight, when the plane reaches a stable altitude, it will be set to autopilot mode, the pilot can pull the sun visor all the way to the window, without having to look outside or turn to talk to the person next to him.

This is also the time when the pilot's workload is reduced, however, there is always one person in the cockpit observing, controlling, checking the aircraft's flight operations, monitoring technical parameters and communicating with air traffic controllers - the people who guide the aircraft to strictly comply with flight paths, altitudes and other standards.

Many years in the profession, no situation can be difficult for the female captain.

It may seem "leisurely", but the female captain revealed that about 2 hours before the flight, the flight crew had collected all the information about their plane, the flight, the route, the weather conditions as well as the surrounding activities... with such conditions, what should the flight crew do?

To ensure pilots are always ready for any possible situation, airlines have tests in the simulated cockpit. With knowledge of the aircraft, systems, and weather analysis, pilots must handle the situation safely. During the flight, if an unusual situation occurs, the flight crew analyzes the situation together and the captain makes the final decision. After that, the crew coordinates the implementation because everyone has been trained to respond.

The female pilot shared that any problems that arise during a flight can be resolved with knowledge, experience and actual conditions. In addition, pilots can also contact the ground while flying in the sky to make the most correct decision.

The Indian co-pilot commented that Captain Ly Huong is an experienced person who is enthusiastic about helping his colleagues.

Flying with Captain Ly Huong on many flights, A350 co-pilot Dayanand Joshi commented that the female captain has remarkable qualifications and flying experience. "Ly Huong is very good, always ready to help everyone around. During the flight, the female captain was very attentive, spending a lot of time instructing and helping the co-pilot sitting next to her update his knowledge and improve his experience. She is my teacher," he said happily.

Following pilot Ly Huong on a flight, we easily noticed the openness and friendliness of the female captain who made history in Vietnamese aviation. When meeting young or "experienced" colleagues in the flight crew or at the airport, she always smiled and asked how they were doing. On a recent flight to Hanoi, it was drizzling and foggy, but she still managed to land the wide-body aircraft carrying more than 300 passengers smoothly, leaving the Indian co-pilot in awe.

After the flight, the captain thanked the crew.

At the end of the flight, she did not forget to meet the flight attendants and thank them for a good flight. The female captain's optimism and dynamism made those around her feel the positive energy.

Pilot Nguyen Ly Huong’s husband, Nguyen Hong Hanh, is also a captain of an airline in Vietnam. They became friends when they were both training in France, and then became husband and wife. As life partners and colleagues, she and her husband can share all work-related issues and tell stories about their flights.

According to Ms. Huong, in the profession, it is quite common for the wife to be a flight attendant, the husband to be a pilot, or for both husband and wife to be flight attendants, but it is quite rare for both husband and wife to be pilots. The job is specific with irregular flight times, many night flights, so when she flies, the husband will take care of the housework, take care of the daughter and vice versa.

Ly Huong's husband is also a captain of another airline in Vietnam.

When their flight schedules overlapped, they asked their grandparents to look after their child. "There were many days when my grandparents were away, and there was no one to pick up and drop off the child, so my husband and I often left the child at the airport. That is, when I landed, my husband drove the child to the airport and handed her over to me before leaving for the flight. Our daughter understood her parents' work very well, so she became independent early on. Now that she's older, she can stay home alone for a few hours waiting for her parents," the female captain said.

Proud to have a wife who is the first captain in the history of Vietnamese aviation, Mr. Nguyen Hong Hanh commented that his wife is opinionated, independent, studies and works seriously. "My wife is very decisive, when she decides to do something, she will do it, no obstacle can stop her. Knowing the nature of the job, we do housework together, one person flies, the other cleans and cooks. We both try to spend as much time with our children as possible. When we both have days off, my wife and I pick up and drop off our children, talk, confide, and teach them," Captain Nguyen Hong Hanh confided.

Business flights are also an opportunity for her to visit new lands.

When talking about family, the female captain's eyes always radiate pride and happiness. In the same profession, the captain's family always sympathizes with each other if they cannot get home on time due to flight delays, and gives each other advice when their spouse encounters obstacles at work.

Captain Ly Huong believes that her family is the strong support system that helps her focus on her work. Therefore, even when working at night or on holidays, she still feels secure and full of energy. Her family is also the motivation for her to overcome challenges in her career. In return, her and her husband's work is also the pride of their daughter and both families.