Vietnam Civil Aviation Flight 501

Vietnam Civil Aviation Flight 501

Air Vietnam's DC-4, involved to the hijacking one
Hijacking
Date	28 June 1978 (1978-06-28)
Summary	Hijacking
Site	en route
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Douglas DC-4
Operator	Vietnam Civil Aviation (Hàng Không Dân Dụng Việt Nam), predecessor of Vietnam Airlines
Registration	VN-C501
Flight origin	Da Nang International Airport, Da Nang-Quang Nam Province (old Da Nang), Vietnam
1st stopover	Phung Duc Airport, Buon Ma Thuot, Dak Lak
Destination	Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Occupants	67
Passengers	60 (Including 4 hijacker)
Crew	5
Fatalities	3
Survivors	64

On June 28, 1978, Vietnam Civil Aviation Flight 501, departing from Da Nang International Airport to Phung Duc Airport, Buon Ma Thuot, Dak Lak Province, was hijacked by four men armed with Makarov pistols, knives and grenades. The hijackers engaged in a gunfight with the crew and security personnel. During the gunfight, three of the four hijackers were killed by exploding grenades and fell from the plane, while the remaining hijacker was captured. The plane was written off a few months after the hijacking. ^[1]

This was the second hijacking of a Vietnam Airlines plane (after Vietnam Civil Aviation Flight 509 hijacking) and is considered one of the bloodiest hijackings to occur in Vietnam.

Summary

A group of four men, armed with grenades, knives, and pistols, hijacked the aircraft while the flight was over Tam Ky airspace. A security officer was disarmed by the four hijackers, who then threatened two female attendants, forcing them to order the cockpit to open. However, the attendants and security personnel resisted. The hijackers violently assaulted them, stabbed one, shot and seriously injured two others.

The flight crew, suspecting radioed Da Nang Airport, requesting an emergency landing. When threats failed, the hijackers opened fire directly into the cockpit. The cockpit crew fired back, injuring one hijacker. As the plane returned to Da Nang airspace and descended for landing, two hijackers, realizing their plan had failed, detonated grenades in an attempt to destroy the plane. One died on the spot, several were injured, and the plane sustained severe damage. The hijackers panicked. As the aircraft passed over the Cam Le River, two of them broke the rear door and jumped out, both dying near the Cam Le Bridge. The last hijacker refused to surrender, continued shooting into the cockpit and engine until his ammunition ran out, then jumped and died on the Da Nang Airport runway. ^[2]

On October 4, 1978, a military court in Da Nang sentenced the mastermind of the hijacking to death. The remaining accomplices were sentenced to between two and eight years in prison. The plane was repaired, but crashed and was written off a few months later while on a rice aid flight to Champasak, Laos. ^[2]

In popular culture

A film based on the hijacking, "Hijacked" (Vietnamese: Tử Chiến Trên Không), produced by director Ham Tran, in collaboration with Galaxy Play, released in 2025. ^[3]

References

1. "Skyjacking in Vietnam: P3 – Tracking down perpetrators of 1978 DC4 hijack". news.tuoitre.vn. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
2. "Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation". Office of Civil Aviation Security (Department of Transportation). 1978. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
3. ""Tử chiến trên không" - Phim Việt về đề tài không tặc ra rạp vào tháng 9". nhandan.vn. Retrieved 28 July 2025.