1990s: Beginnings

Air Hanoi was established on 8 November 1993 by former Vietnam People's Air Force veterans Hoang Ngoc Dieu and Phung The Tai who both served as director-generals of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) from the 1960s until the 1980s. It was Vietnam's second airline to launch under partial foreign investment after Pacific Airlines, with Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways and Vietnamese American businessman Frank Jao each holding a 15 percent stake in the company. The remaining 70 percent stake would be held by Hanoi-based Vietcombank, a major state-owned financial institution.

Operations commenced on 11 July 1994 with a startup capital of US$30.2 million. The airline's first aircraft was a Boeing 757-200 leased from Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services (AWAS) operating flights from Hanoi to Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, and Taipei. The start of operations began several months after the lifting of the United States embargo against Vietnam, which enabled local airlines to acquire Western aircraft.

In 1995 two Boeing 737-300s joined the fleet as leases from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), bringing the fleet count to three aircraft. That same year, Air Hanoi launched regular service to Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phnom Penh, Seoul, Singapore, and Vientiane.

Registrations: N721LF (B737-300), N275AW (B757-200)