Story: Bao Nguyen
Photos: Heritage Magazine

Premiered in early January, Vietnam Airlines’ safety instruction film The Blossoming Flight has garnered attention for its seamless blend of flight safety messaging with the cultural values of Vietnam. With meticulous attention to content, imagery, music, and costumes, the film goes beyond ensuring effective inflight safety guidance. It celebrates the nation’s beauty, conveys a profound message about heritage, and promotes Vietnamese culture to a global audience.

Mixing safety with heritage

In 2025, Vietnam Airlines reaffirms its boundless creativity in delivering safety messages through a unique inflight safety instruction film titled The Blossoming Flight. The film makes a lasting impression by expertly merging the “rigid” nature of inflight safety instructions and regulations with the soft, vibrant beauty of Vietnam’s craft village culture.

Inspired by artisans’ skills and talents, the film depicts culturally rich images from renowned craft villages – including the print-making village of Dong Ho, Thanh Tien, known for its paper flowers, Phu Vinh, which specializes in bamboo and rattan weaving, the embroidery village of Quat Dong, and Hoi An, famous for its lanterns – to illustrate each step of safe inflight procedures.

Beautiful scene from the safety instruction film

The hands of artisans – imbuing each traditional handcrafted product with soul – serve as the video’s central image, seamlessly linking safety regulations with the beauty of traditional craftsmanship. Viewers will be captivated by the creative representations, such as a no-smoking symbol embroidered on a delicate piece of fabric or luggage safety regulations illustrated through the swift movements of weavers.

Other standout visuals include life vests and oxygen masks descending amid colorful paper flowers and lanterns, as well as the painting Child Holding a Life Vest, inspired by the Dong Ho painting Prosperity and Wealth. These artistic details add depth and artistry to the video.

A standout feature in the film is the artistic and meaningful portrayal of emergency exit instructions, with hundreds of lit lanterns creating a bright and welcoming atmosphere. Lotus-shaped lanterns – symbolic of Vietnam Airlines – are elegantly arranged along both sides to subtly represent the aircraft’s emergency exits. The colorful lights of the lanterns and lotus flowers not only serve as guidance but also convey messages of passengers’ safety and trust when flying with Vietnam Airlines flights.

Lotus-shaped lantern - symbolic of Vietnam Airlines

Music, costumes, and culture

The Blossoming Flight not only features creative content but is also meticulously designed in every detail, from music and costumes to the setting, achieving a fusion of art and culture. The film’s music is specially composed with cheerful rhythms, capturing the essence of spring and the vibrant hues of folk traditions. These rustic yet lively melodies naturally connect viewers’ emotions to key safety messages, making the film both engaging and inspiring.

Regarding costumes, the film’s special collection titled Memories on the Clouds highlights the áo bà ba – a symbol of traditional laborers – stylized and harmoniously colored to reflect the unique characteristics of Vietnam’s three regions. This design enhances the simple yet elegant beauty of the Vietnamese people in their daily lives and work. The costumes blend with the backdrop of the Ao Dai Museum, an ideal setting to recreate the living spaces of ancient Vietnam. Images of traditional homes and villages evoke a sense of warmth and familiarity, drawing viewers back to the essence of Vietnamese identity.

The life vest was demonstrated in a Dong Ho-inspired painting

With over 300 craft villages across the country, Vietnam holds an invaluable treasure trove of traditional culture. However, a lack of young artisans willing to pursue these trades and the rise of industrial machinery have caused many craft villages to gradually decline, creating significant challenges in preserving this precious heritage. In this context, The Blossoming Flight is more than just a flight safety instruction film. It is a heartfelt tribute to the nation’s intangible cultural heritage. Through this film, Vietnam Airlines conveys a profound message of national pride and its mission to connect Vietnamese culture with the world, striving to preserve and promote local heritage to international audiences.

Vietnam Airlines continuously reinvents its creative inflight safety films to captivate passengers’ attention and emphasize the importance of these regulations.

Timeline of Vietnam Airlines’ flight safety videos:

  • 2007: Animated flight safety instruction film.
  • 2017: Film featuring real flight attendants demonstrating onboard safety procedures.
  • 2019: Safety instruction film blending tradition and modernity by showcasing cultural highlights and Vietnam’s stunning landscapes.
  • 2020: Film explaining flight safety regulations through contemporary dance.
  • 2022: Am vang dong dieu (Echoes of Harmony) – a film inspired by the traditional dances of various ethnic groups, set against Vietnam’s mountains and plains.
  • 2023: A futuristic-themed film utilizing advanced special effects and new technology.