VNexpress-Oct 5
Vietnam Post has launched the country’s first cargo drone operations in the mountainous northern province of Dien Bien. According to the state postal carrier, heavy-lift drones with a 50-kilogram capacity are now hauling freshly harvested coffee and macadamia nuts from highland farms in Muong Ang, a rural mountain district in Dien Bien, down to transit depots in the plains below. From there, trucks transport the produce to regional buyers and processing plants. Several farming clusters across Muong Ang are just four to five kilometers away from primary collection points. But steep gradients and narrow dirt tracks that turn slick whenever severe storms hit mean harvest transport is hostage to road conditions. Vietnam Post evaluated local shipping demand, mapped aerial flight corridors and built a combined network linking drone routes with traditional road hauling. The initiative marks the postal carrier’s first formal rollout of drone freight traversing mountains. The Muong Ang flights operate under a controlled regulatory sandbox designed to spur commercial low-altitude aviation, authorized by provincial authorities in June. To run through May 2027, the UAV pilot program deploys drones for agriculture, logistics, health care and digital cartography. At a press conference hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology in July, Nguyen Van Thuat, deputy head of digital economy and society, said findings from the Dien Bien trial would serve as a baseline for crafting and formulating national politics on low-altitude airspace management. Read more at: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/tech/vietnam-innovation/vietnam-rolls-out-first-mountain-drone-cargo-delivery-service-5128411.html
