Vietnam rolls out first mountain drone cargo delivery service

According to the state postal carrier, heavy-lift drones with a 50-kilogram capacity are now hauling freshly harvested coffee and macadamia nuts from highland farms in Muong Ang, a rural mountain district in Dien Bien, down to transit depots in the plains below.

From there, trucks transport the produce to regional buyers and processing plants.

Several farming clusters across Muong Ang are just four to five kilometers away from primary collection points.

But steep gradients and narrow dirt tracks that turn slick whenever severe storms hit mean harvest transport is hostage to road conditions.

Vietnam Post evaluated local shipping demand, mapped aerial flight corridors, and built a combined network linking drone routes with traditional road hauling.

A drone operator inspects equipment before takeoff. Photo by Dam Minh

The initiative marks the postal carrier's first formal rollout of drone freight traversing mountains.

Earlier this year, the company ran test deliveries carrying blood units, lab specimens, and clinical supplies from the coastal hub of Can Gio across open sea to the offshore archipelago of Con Dao using what was Vietnam's first maritime drone flight.

Chu Quang Hao, chief executive of Vietnam Post, said unmanned aircraft represent a crucial technological frontier for modernizing the company's mail and logistics operations.

The company next plans to explore introducing the model to other provinces.

The Muong Ang flights operate under a controlled regulatory sandbox designed to spur commercial low-altitude aviation, authorized by provincial authorities in June.

A technician monitors and pilots the drone via a remote workstation during the launch event in Dien Bien, September 2026. Photo by Dam Minh

To run through May 2027, the UAV pilot program deploys drones for agriculture, logistics, healthcare, and digital cartography.

Dien Bien targets roughly 6,000 flights through the end of the program, with a safety benchmark exceeding 99%.

At a press conference hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology in July, Nguyen Van Thuat, deputy head of digital economy and society, said findings from the Dien Bien trial would serve as a baseline for crafting formulating national policies on low-altitude airspace management.

Dien Bien had been selected for the trial because of its rugged topography, steep delivery expenses, and isolated pockets where residents struggle to access medical care, consumer goods, and farming supplies, he explained.

These harsh conditions represent practical logistics puzzles where low-altitude flight technology could "make a distinct difference" over conventional transport, he added.