Paragliding in Vietnam in 2026 - Written by a local PWC pilot
- 2 hours ago
- 7 min read
Vietnam is a fascinating destination for paragliding, with a fast-growing free flight community, stunning flying sites, world-class training opportunities, and incredibly friendly pilots. We would love to welcome you to our country, just as warmly as I have been welcomed wherever I’ve flown around the world. This article will serve as a comprehensive guide, covering everything you need to know about paragliding in Vietnam.
Written by Kim Tran, an active Paragliding World Cup comp and a well-known local pilot.
Season, Climate, Geography ... for pro pilots
Let's start with the basics. Vietnam is a tropical country, narrow in width but quite long from North to South. If taking the country as a whole, we have a year-round flying season. This is a pretty accurate overall XC Landscape and Season chart in Vietnam, with some small oversimplifications.
In more detail, here is a year-round XC calendar in Vietnam:
Oct – Dec is the autumn season in the North flats (Red River Delta, Hanoi area), with cool temperatures and dry air coming from China. XC-possible about 60-70% of the days. Great sites: New Đồi Bù (near Hanoi), Tam Đảo, etc.
Nov – Jan is a great time to explore the North-West mountain range with blue sky, high cloud base, and dry air most of the time. Flying here at this time of year brings the Pokhara/Bir feeling, with rice-field landscapes and rowdy thermals. XC-possible about 60-70% of the days. Great sites: Tam Đường (Putaleng), Ham Rong (Sapa), etc.
Dec – Apr is the dry season down South. You can expect similar weather patterns and flying conditions for paragliding in Thailand. Cloudbase can reach over 2500 with a low valley floor. Thermals are strong, big, and relatively soft-edged. XC-possible about 90% of the days. Great sites: B.A.D., Khánh Vĩnh (near Nha Trang), Kontum, Dateh (near Ho Chi Minh city), Lang Biang (Da Lat), etc.
May – Aug is the hot, dry summer in the North, with a relatively strong Föhn southwest wind. The temperature is high, the air is dry and as clean as it gets, and the days are the longest. The straight distance XC record was made this time of the year. XC-possible about 50% of the days. Great sites: Đại Tuệ (near Vinh), New Đồi Bù (near Hanoi), Tam Đảo (near Hanoi), etc.
Here are XContest links to the best tracklogs of those flying sites above: Doi Bu (old and new) XContest
Things can change very quickly in Vietnam. Some sites are more active than others, and some may have rule changes. So if you plan to visit for real, contact the specific site manager, all linked above. If he/she doesn't reply, contact me.
The legal flying landscape in Vietnam
Vietnam has relatively clear — and quite strict — regulations regarding free flight activities. By default, spontaneous private flying is not permitted. Vietnamese airspace is heavily controlled by the military, and all flying activities must be specifically approved and coordinated in advance.
The permission process is multi-layered and usually involves approvals and coordination from authorities such as the Ministry of Defense, regional military commands (Quân khu), and the provincial military command. In addition, daily flight plans typically need to be submitted before 14:00 on the previous day, with a final confirmation made shortly before takeoff.
The good news is that Vietnamese pilots, clubs, and commercial operators are already very familiar with this process. As a visiting pilot, you can simply fly under the sponsorship and permissions of a local club or company, making the process straightforward and hassle-free.
In the past, there were also regulations that specifically restricted foreign pilots from free flying in Vietnam. However, the newer regulations — particularly Decree 288/CP — no longer explicitly prohibit this. In practice, this means foreign pilots can now legally fly in Vietnam under the same framework and procedures applied to Vietnamese citizens.
In short: contact a local flying club or company, fly under their sponsorship and permissions, and you should have no issues enjoying Vietnam’s incredible flying sites legally and safely.
Buying paragliding gear in Vietnam
Although prices have gradually increased over the years, paragliding gear in Vietnam is still generally more affordable than in Europe or the United States. Historically, most local dealers sold mainly within their own flying communities and circles of friends, often with very small profit margins. Many schools and clubs also focus primarily on training and flying activities rather than making significant profits from gear sales.
Today, Vietnam has access to most major paragliding brands, including GIN, Ozone, Advance, Niviuk, and many others. In particular, GIN and Davinci equipment tend to offer especially competitive pricing in Vietnam thanks to the close economic relationship between Vietnam and South Korea, including favorable import conditions and near-zero import tax rates.
You can often find GIN gear in Vietnam priced about 10% lower than in many other markets worldwide, and delivery to Vietnam takes only a few days (3 working days under normal circumstances).
Contact us to get quotes!
So if you are traveling to Vietnam, it may actually make sense to pack light, purchase your equipment locally at more competitive prices, and bring it back home afterward.
Inspect and repair flying gear in Vietnam
There are 2 perfectly capable and internationally licensed service centers in Vietnam.
In the Hanoi area, go to GINMEC, run by Kim Tran and certified by GIN Gliders. GINMEC offers a wide range of services, including inspection, trimming, canopy repair, line replacement, rescue repacking, etc. GINMEC is located in Tay Ho district in Hanoi.
In the Ho Chi Minh area, consider Aerotact/Uni-Ski Friend. They are actually a 3rd-party manufacturer for Nova, so they are more than capable of meeting your needs. The only downside is that the factory itself is in Tay Ninh, a bit far away from Ho Chi Minh City center, and it takes a trip to get there. Shipping from Ho Chi Minh to there takes half to a full day.
If you are in Da Nang, you may also contact Thuy for glider servicing and repairs. Although she is not yet officially licensed, she is highly capable and experienced in most maintenance tasks, including canopy repairs, line replacement, and general servicing work.
Thuy trained at the GIN Gliders headquarters service program and completed most of the certification process. However, she had to pause near the end of the program due to family responsibilities.
Worth mentioning is Bach Le, a very capable serviceman based out of Hanoi. Recently, he has been focusing on his harness design company (They make really nice competition harnesses), so less time for glider servicing. But he is a cool guy to meet and hang out with.
Learning to fly in Vietnam
Learning to fly a paraglider in Vietnam offers exceptional value. Tuition fees are considerably lower than in many other countries, while the quality of instruction, equipment, and training facilities remains excellent. May Paragliding School operates a world-class training center just one hour from Hanoi, featuring a custom-built training slope, a large landing zone, and a high take-off that supports launches in all wind directions.
The school offers the basic 3-day IPPI P1 course for around $700, including equipment, instruction, transportation, accommodation, meals, insurance, and an internationally recognized FAI license.
The program is carefully designed to make learning as easy, safe, and efficient as possible. Staff-to-trainee ratios are often close to one-to-one, allowing trainees to receive constant guidance and feedback. The training system is optimized so students can focus entirely on learning and repetition, without wasting energy on tasks such as carrying heavy equipment uphill, untangling lines, or dealing with unnecessary logistical difficulties.
Over the past five years, May Paragliding has successfully organized more than 30 training courses. You are welcome to check the reviews and experiences shared by previous students yourself.
If you purchase your equipment through the school, May Paragliding will offer one additional training day free of charge to help you obtain your IPPI P2 certification. This extra day is typically scheduled alongside the following P1 course for convenience and timing efficiency. If you choose to continue renting equipment from the school instead, the additional P2 training day costs $100.
Flying as a tandem passenger in Vietnam
Vietnam's tandem landscape has been growing over the past few years, with beautiful, professional sites popping up across the country. Most regular sites have local pilots doing tandem. Though very experienced and capable, most are not technically licensed or legal. Here is a full list of legally licensed tandem businesses throughout Vietnam.
Fly Sapa Paragliding
Price: $95 or 2,390,000 đ
Includes: The flight, pick-up & drop-off, insurance, GoPro, gift Unique selling points: higher take-off (1,750m) than other operators in Sapa. Excellent services (read the reviews yourself).
Location: 10 min from Sapa town center. https://maps.app.goo.gl/C7tTYEKk2KYrSb796
Contact: +84 58 414 6688 (WhatsApp, Zalo)
Website: flysapa.com/en
Ha Giang Paragliding
Price: 2,000,000 ~ 3,000,000 đ (various packages)
Includes: The flight, transportation back to the start point, insurance, GoPro
Unique selling points: on the Hagiang Loop
Fly Hanoi Paragliding
Price: 1,800,000 đ. Transportation from and to Hanoi is 120,000 đ / way.
Includes: The flight, transportation up the mountain, insurance, GoPro
Unique selling points: the closest flying site to Hanoi. The nicest facility in all of Vietnam.
Location: 50 min from Hanoi city
Contact: +84 58 414 6688 (WhatsApp, Zalo)
Tamdao Paragliding
Price: 2,000,000 ~ 3,000,000 đ (various packages)
Includes: The flight, transportation back to the start point, insurance, GoPro
Unique selling points: right in the center of Tam Dao town
Fly Danang
Temporarily closed due to permit processes
Fly Nhatrang
Price: 2,000,000 ~ 3,000,000 đ (various packages)
Includes: The flight, transportation back to the start point, insurance, GoPro
Unique selling points: has both paragliding and paramotoring. Only operator in Nha Trang.
Location: 30 mins from Nha Trang center
Fly Dalat Paragliding
Price: 2,200,000 đ ~2,500,000 đ (2 packages: Gold and Diamond)
Includes: The flight, transportation up the mountain, tickets to the attractions, insurance, GoPro
Unique selling points: Take-off and Landing areas are both famous locations to check-in. The highest site in all of Indochina at 1,900m
Location: 50 min from Hanoi city
Contact: +84 3 92.98.96.98 (WhatsApp, Zalo)
Website: flydalat.com/en
Working as a tandem pilot in Vietnam
Some international pilots do work illegally in Vietnam while holding only tourist visas. Although enforcement has historically been inconsistent, I would strongly discourage doing this.
Obtaining a proper work visa in Vietnam can be a complicated process, especially for professional tandem pilots. However, May Paragliding has successfully secured legal work permits and visas for several of our international pilots, including pilots from Singapore and Nepal.
If you aspire to work as a tandem pilot in Vietnam, feel free to contact us and fill out this application form.
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