■ VIETNAM: Ethiopia, Vietnam sign Bilateral Air Services Agreement.

Ethiopia and Vietnam have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a Bilateral Air Services Agreement following talks between officials from the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) and the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (Cục Hàng không Dân dụng Việt Nam - CAAV) in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, recently. According to a statement by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, the MoU was signed by Colonel Wossenyeleh Hunegnaw for the ECAA and by his Vietnamese counterpart, Vo Huy Cuong, after two days of discussions held between officials from 11-12  July 2013.

Ho Chi Minh City Hall

In his speech, Col. Wossenyeleh said the MoU will significantly contribute to strengthen economic relations between the two countries, stressing the need for Ethiopia and Vietnam to enhance cooperation in areas of trade, investment and tourism as the two countries are registering rapid economic growth in the world.

According to Ethiopian Radio & Television reports, the Memorandum of Understanding has provision for the "each country's respective designated carriers to operate a maximum of 14 weekly passenger and cargo flights between Addis Ababa and Hanoi." Ethiopian Airlines (ET) had originally announced plans to begin three times weekly flights between Addis Ababa and Ho Chi Minh City via Bangkok from September, but has since cancelled the route.