Vietnam Airlines FO 777

[hedge]

Hi Guys

I'm interested in the FO 777 position at VN.

I have a wife and one teanager. Would it be feasible on the salary for the family to live in Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi comfortably on the package, bearing in mind international school fees? Any input on lifestyle issues, roster patterns would also be highly appreciated.

I'd be very grateful to receive any help.

Have a great Christmas.

Hedge

[mach 84]

for the next year it looks like that no foreign f/o's will be taken in, there are some local cadets, just finishing their atpl training overseas, to be trained as
second officers on the 777.

[hedge]

That's interesting. Thanks for the reply. I just wonder why they are advertising for type rated FOs.

hedge

[safelife]

How about demand for A330 FO?

[Leemankin]

guys...for what it's worth, VNA is still hiring, they slowed down a bit, but you can still check the agencies...(Parc, Rishworth, etc.)... Nothing wrong in planning to stay with family here, lifestyle wise...it's not that expensive...less Int'l Schooling for kids...coz this might take a big bite out of your Net take home pay...but, you might wanna try coming here without your family first...then decide if you wanna stay for a long time...you might wanna enjoy being single for a while...:ok:

[safelife]

Unfortunately Parc never advertised Vietnam positions again, at least not A330 FO or B777 FO.
Would be considering to join as A330 FO but currently it's only Rishworth offering these contracts.
Feedback from those flying there lets me refrain from applying with Rishworth, but it seems to be the only way nowadays.

[Leemankin]

safelife...
i know there were some issues with regards to rishworth's past dealings with some expats, but right now...things have changed...at least from the way they deal with us crews...so far i've been here almost two years now and i should say i'm quite satisfied...both with Vietnam Airlines and Rishworth as my agency... i know some you guys would disagree, and some would not...this is just my opinion.... i'm not asking for anyone's approval here...all i'm saying is, if you wanna try it out here... and your options are limited, then why not... bottom line is i get my pay at the end of the month...and never had to worry about losing my job, or getting laid off/furlough, or my airline getting bankrupt? at least for the next couple of years.....

hedge...just in case you still want some info on these:
Accomodation/Fairly Descent Furnished Apartment cost about $800-$1500 Usd depending on your need
Canadian Int'l School for gradeschool is approx. $600 Usd, and Bus/Transpo extra pay $100 every 3mos approx. per kid. Dunno about Secondary/High School yet...
Car...Not necessarily needed...taxis $4-$6 15-30minutes ride and motorbike rental ($70) would suffice..
Groceries&Stuff + Sushi/Wine average around $400 per person per month, including some fast food burgers etc...
How much you spend on all other things is really up to your personal requirements....

[hedge]

Thanks for that Leemankin. Just the kind of stuff I'm after. On the flying side, how is the rostering and the fatigue level? I'm especially interested after the airline started flights to LGW.

[Leemankin]

fatigue level...i should say...is fairly okey...
crew rest in between duty ...11 hrs minimum, beginning at on-block+15min;
average monthly 75 hrs basically on all fleets considering 6wk-ON/2wk-OFF roster pattern; the only painful thing is...DUTY TIME limitations not the same as ICAO/JAA/FAA, here they follow CAAV duty time limitations(w/in 7 days Rest period 36 hrs) ..and Here's the hard part (w/in 10 days Rest Period 60 hrs), so basically you fly 7 1/2 days consecutive... and 2 1/2 days off.. plus of course your minimum crew rest daily of 11 hrs..what i'm describing is the extreme, but so far, this may only happen once or twice a year...on peak season months only (which is about 2-3 mos in a year). Hotels/Layovers are fairly nice 5 star hotels...Food/Meals on board A+; only downside for expat is Some hotels does not include free breakfast, so you have to shoulder it yourself...and no per diems paid on layovers....as it is included on your montly pay... No overtime pay as well (but you dont normally fly more than 80hrs) so it's just fair and square...this is just my opinion....hope this helps you.

[nolongerfun]

Good info, Leemankin. Could I maybe have an idea of that fixed monthly salary you mentioned ? Captains and F/O...
Also, is it the same on every airframe, ranging from AT72 to B777 ?
Thanks,

NLF

[Captain_Said]

so they'r not gonna hire foroighn FO for B777 this year ?

[BayBong]

This is a bit off the topic, but if you want to live in Asia and in particular in VN, you must deal with corruption at all level of dayly life. Purchasing a PhD degree is as easy as buying a fake Rolex. Same goes for a Pilot licence, you have to pay higher price for the left seat compared to the right seat.

Since the Korean pilot flying for VAC made media cover pages, VAC assured that they will review their recrutment and training procedures of about 140 pilots. A quick look in Vietnamese pilot files would reveal too much of their own corruption so that the official report on the investigation may be totally unreliable and loaded with lies.

Does anybody know what was their conclusion main lines ?
Do they target expat pilots only or do they include locals as well ?
Did anybody got fired resulting from the investigation ? Thanks +++, fly high.

BayBong.

[Miss Aviator]

Anyone have any info ? Or do we just wait for the contract agencies to advertise eventually ?

[B777-200ER]

A word of advice. DON'T go there. It's rubbish. Really bad.

[B777-200ER]

Hi there, actually it wasn't the roster changes. Every company has roster changes. It was the nasty and incompetent viets. It was the total lack of information provided by the company on anything and everything. There was no training "at all" it was trainers who were clearly not qualified or capable of the positions they held. It was the smoking on the flight deck. It was the shouting and yelling on the flight deck. It was being the token English speaker on a long haul flight. It was the CRM. It was the working environment. It was the lack of ability and lack of being able to see common sense and reason. It was living in Hanoi, one of the most polluted cities in the world with its black sky's and filth. It was about the company not bothering to reply to emails on anything or picking up a phone in the office. It was a total shambles. I can handle total shambles. I've had it many times before, but what I won't tolerate is incompetence and unqualified. They can have that all to themselves.
If your happy there then good for you. The A320 fleet and ATR fleet are happier by all accounts. So are the Saigon based people. I have never seen such a poor standard or such a lack of ability and CRM in all my life.
I did fly with a few good, and nice viets on the 777, but the vast majority were nasty, unfriendly, and incompetent.
Never in my flying career have I ever wanted to exit a company so fast. It was terrible. Not just the job either, but living in Hanoi and everyday dealings with the Vietnamese.
Hope this answers your question?

[SAI-SAI]

the plan in VN is :
no more expat FO on ATR fleet by the end of this year (2012, they are upgrading most of them now)

then no more expat FO on any fleet by 2015.
of course it might change but....