The Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday that Vietnam had improved international standards for aviation safety and would be allowed to fly to the United States.
According to The Associated Press, FAA officials said Vietnam earned a “Category 1” safety rating following an assessment in August which judged how the nation handled civil aviation processes and security.
The compliance of Vietnam with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nation’s aviation agency, had never been analyzed before last year’s assessment, but the approval clears the way for the nation to work with U.S. airlines.
Now that Vietnam received the necessary rating from the FAA, carriers in the country can begin service to the U.S. and launch code-sharing partnerships. There are no current flights between the two countries.
The announcement comes just months after the Van Don International Airport in the Quang Ninh province of Vietnam opened on December 30, allowing for even more travelers to arrive in the country.