VATM and ICAO sign Management Service Agreement

Singapore, July 16th, 2025, the Viet Nam Air Traffic Management (VATM) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) officially signed a Management Service Agreement (MSA). VATM Director General – Mr. Nguyen Manh Kien and ICAO General Secretary – Mr. Juan Carlos, on behalf of each party, signed the MSA.

The signing ceremony was performed following the opening session of the ICAO APAC Regional Training Symposium (July 16-17, 2025 at Suntec City Convention Center, Singapore) and with the witness of Mr. Tao Ma, Regional Director off ICAO APAC Office. 

The MSA signed between ICAO and VATM is one of four agreements signed between ICAO and stakeholders in the APAC region in the MOU signing session of the Symposium. Other agreements signed in this occasion include MOU between Singapore and ICAO on Cooperation in Leadership and Management Training – Annex 5 on Directors-General of Civil Aviation Programme on Aviation Security; MOU between ICAO and Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China concerning Capacity Development and Implementation Support; MSA between ICAO and Airports of Thailand. 

The ICAO Management Service Agreement is a principal agreement, including general terms and conditions which lay a foundation for responsibilities of ICAO and the other signing party when using services to be provided by or through ICAO.  The MSA between ICAO and VATM was raised and promoted during VATM’s visit to ICAO Capacity Development and Implementation Office (ICAO CDI) in Montreal, led by VATM Chairman – Mr. Le Hoang Minh, in October 2024. 

Viet Nam is one of 193 Member States of ICAO and officially became its member in 1981. As a Specialized Agency of the United Nations (UN), ICAO serves as the global forum of States for international civil aviation. ICAO develops policies and Standards, undertakes compliance audits, performs studies and analyses, provides assistance and builds aviation capacity through many other activities and the cooperation of its Member States and stakeholders. ICAO’s vision is to achieve the sustainable growth of the global civil aviation system.

As the sole Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) of Viet Nam, VATM has been proactively participating in different activities of this important organization, with the direction of the Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam (CAAV), in order to follow closely ICAO’s standards and recommendations, as well as to promote its collaboration with other Member States and stakeholders to learn best practices in air traffic management in the world. Every year, VATM’s personnels at different levels attend multiple training courses under the TRAINAIR PLUS PLUS Programme at different training facilities. In addition, VATM also actively join different forums of various subjects, joint projects and workgroups of ICAO in the region.  

The signing of the MSA between VATM and ICAO does not only provide an official framework for future collaborative activities in long term between VATM and ICAO, but also reflect VATM’s commitment, as one of the major pillars of the aviation industry of Viet Nam, in its proactive contribution to the international aviation community, for the safety, regularity, efficiency and sustainability of the aviation.