VietHarvest is an innovative new social enterprise that launched in June 2022 that collects quality surplus food and redistributes it to underserved communities in Vietnam. This solution has been implemented on all Vietnam Airlines flights over the past 3 months. The airline was also in the top 3 airlines with the best Cleaning Waste Management solution.

Launched in 2022, The Sustainable Flight Challenge (TSFC) harnesses the power of friendly competition to spark new innovations to help reduce air travel’s footprint. This year, 22 airlines operated a total of 72 flights – 50 more than in 2022 – and submitted more than 350 new ideas that will be shared across the industry. Award submissions were evaluated by a diverse jury of international aviation and sustainability experts who decided the winners of the 25 subcategories and seven overall awards from the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Center and PA Consulting.

Dang Anh Tuan, Executive Vice President of Vietnam Airlines said: “This award illustrates Vietnam Airlines’ commitment in reducing food waste, hunger and poverty and creating a sustainable food culture and eco-system in Vietnam. Not only do we raise awareness and explore innovative approaches, we hope to continue to join forces with airlines worldwide to reshape the future of aviation and advance the industry’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.”

Previously, in May 2023, Vietnam Airlines completed the long-haul flight VN37 from Hanoi to Frankfurt (Germany) as part of SkyTeam’s Sustainable Flight Challenge, aiming to encourage global airlines to find innovative ways to make air travel greener. 

From unusable vests that no longer meet safety requirements, Vietnam Airlines joined hands with social enterprise Limloop to recycle hundreds of unusable life vests into handbags for passengers. Vietnam Airlines also served a sustainable inflight meal on the special flight, using seasonal ingredients and alternative plant-based protein source from sustainably grown soybeans through partnership with the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC).