It is not technology but dreams that can change the world, said President and CEO of Vietjet Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao as she addressed attendees of the recent World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2018 in the capital.

Thao, who is also Viet Nam’s first and only female billionaire recognised by Forbes, told Vietnamese startups at the forum that technology is only a tool, which originates from human dreams.

“Don’t save your dreams. Dare to have big dreams and try your best every day to make them come true,” the CEO said.

She also advised startups to bring the spirit of digitalisation and automation of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) into their daily lives as well as all business operation processes.

According to Thao, startup businesses are not alone on the way to realise their dreams as they are incubated in Viet Nam—a startup nation and part of a larger ASEAN community that is regarded as the most dynamic and fastest-growing region in the world.

Vietjet joins other firms in operating in this facilitative business environment and always strives to lead in Industry 4.0 and create new trends, Thao added.

Vietjet CEO and President Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao (left) has inspired startup businesses to dream big. — VNS Photo

Start with a big dream

Founded in 2007, Vietjet aims to become a consumer airline which can offer everyone the opportunity to fly.

“Through our dreams and great efforts, Vietjet is now one of enterprises that has brought active and positive changes to the domestic aviation industry,” Thao noted.

After its first flight from HCM City to Ha Noi with over 100 passengers, Vietjet has carried more than 60 million passengers so far, with 94 routes covering Viet Nam as well as international destinations such as Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and Cambodia.

Over the past six months of 2018, Vietjet continued to lead domestic passenger traffic with 59,944 flights, up nearly 22 per cent year-on-year.

During the period, Vietjet’s technical reliability was 99.66 per cent with the safety performance of flight and ground operations amongst the top in the region. The carrier’s on-time performance stood at 83 per cent.

The airline’s accumulated air transport revenue from January to June topped VND16.47 trillion, surging 53 per cent year-on-year. Air transport profit stood at VND1.68 trillion, an increase of 53.4 per cent over the same period in 2017 and equivalent to 56.2 per cent of the annual target.

Thanks to this strong growth, the airline’s ancillary revenue recorded a 50 per cent on-year increase to VND3.8 trillion.

Beside its impressive business performance, Vietjet has also received prestigious awards from many domestic and international organisations and publications.

In addition to the “Top 500 Leading Brands in Asia 2016” and “Best Recruiting Brand in Asia” for many consecutive years, Vietjet was also honored as the Best Asian Low Cost Carrier by the TTG Travel Awards in 2015. Vietjet was also recognised with a Top 3 Fastest Growing Facebook Fanpage award by Socialbakers.

This month, the carrier was honoured as one of the world’s 50 best airlines by Airfinance Journal, a leading aviation finance magazine. It ranked 22nd thanks to its healthy financing and operations — a better performance than many prestigious airlines.

A Vietjet aircraft takes off from Tan Son Nhat International Airport. — VNS Photo

Technology: key to success

Thao attributed Vietjet’s amazing results over the past few years to its increasing efforts in accelerating the application of technology, while continuously innovating with a focus on investing in new and modern aircrafts.

According to Thao, Vietjet is the first airline in Viet Nam to operate as a new-age carrier that focuses on diversifying aviation services, investing in the latest e-commerce and operation technologies as well as developing a modern aviation service ecology in Viet Nam.

Prior to the emergence of the Industry 4.0, Vietjet applied advanced technology in facilitating ticket booking for passengers with on-line check-in services seven years ago. That benefited not only passengers in Viet Nam but also those in other countries, she said.

“With a smart phone, our passengers, even those in rural and remote areas, can purchase tickets and check in online,” she said. “Some of them are flying by air for the first time in their lives. Some of them cannot speak English but thanks to technology they can travel to other domestic and international destinations.”