=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2004/12= /12/MNGPJAANK61.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday, December 12, 2004 (SF Chronicle) United flight to Vietnam heralds opening of new era David Armstrong, Chronicle Staff Writer Ho Chi Minh City -- As the wheels of the jam-packed Boeing 747 touched t= he runway in the floodlit airport, passengers on the sold-out United Airlines Flight 869 burst into applause. It had been a long time coming; Flight 869 was the first regularly scheduled commercial passenger flight by a U.S. carrier to land in Vietnam in nearly 30 years, and now it was finally here. The welcome by Vietnamese authorities Friday night Vietnam time was as dignified as the arrival of U.S. business executives, airline executives, Vietnamese Americans and others was emotional. Two rows of elegantly clad young women dressed in white held lotus flowers as passengers descended an airway staircase from the plane to the steamy tarmac. Vietnamese troops stood quietly nearby, and a media scrum formed around VIPs on the plane, one of whom was Hollywood actor David Hasselhoff, who became known around the planet for his role on "Baywatch." The actor's role in Vietnam is rather more serious; he arrived on the inaugural flight to deliver a passel of wheelchairs for disabled Vietnamese children, courtesy of the nonprofit group Wheels for Humanity. No business deals were announced amid the ceremonial arrival, but some were expected to follow, and many on the flight came in search of commercial opportunities in Vietnam, an erstwhile foe that is becoming a lively and steadily more important U.S. business partner. San Francisco clothing designer Michelle Moquin, who said she planned to visit garment factories near Ho Chi Minh City to scout out contract opportunities for her company, Michelle Moquin Design, was impressed by the elegance of the welcome given to the first U.S. flight in more than a generation. It was an impression that seemed to be widely shared by the American visitors. Sam and Helen Nhin, co-owners of West Coast Precision, a Sunnyvale furniture company, were making perhaps their 10th visit to their homeland, but, Helen Nhin said, going back was always emotional. The couple fled as South Vietnam collapsed in 1975 and took some time to return, she said. Now, "It's still emotional. You feel it when the wheels touch down in Vietnam." San Francisco has been a sister city of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly called Saigon, since 1995, and a delegation of some two dozen Bay Area residents rode on the inaugural United flight. Mark Chandler, director of foreign trade in the San Francisco mayor's office, said the group planned to visit an elementary school outside the city, which the committee has adopted. "It's a poor place, you see chickens walking around, and so on," said Chandler, who has visited Vietnam "11 or 12 times." He said the sister city delegation would be donating supplies to the school, as part of an ongoing effort to boost its slender resources. The group also planned to meet with officials at the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam and the U.S. Consulate once the business week began. Gregory Chew, a San Francisco Film Commission member and founding creati= ve director of Dae Advertising, said the growing commercial culture of Vietnam, especially in the more business-minded south of the country, could lead to opportunities for companies such as his, which is based in Hong Kong and has extensive experience crafting ad campaigns in Asia. Flight 869 stopped over in Hong Kong on its 19-hour journey to Ho Chi Mi= nh City, occasioning more speeches and ceremonies at Hong Kong's airy, spacious 6-year-old international airport. Champagne toasts were raised and Vietnamese dancers holding colorful scarves twirled at the gateway before takeoff. Joining the flight in Hong Kong were nearly a dozen journalists based in Asia, where the flight attracted considerable media attention, including Kandace Bender, deputy director of San Francisco International Airport, who arrived from Shanghai. Bender said she has spent just over a week in Asia, scouting out more deals for SFO and talking to Asian airlines that don't yet fly to San Francisco. SFO, the largest airport in Northern California, handles about 90 percent of all international flights in Northern California and is considered the gateway to the Asia Pacific region. United's director for the Pacific region, Mark Schwab, said the airline = is continuing to expand service in Asia Pacific, switching aircraft from domestic service to more-lucrative international routes. E-mail David Armstrong at davidarmstrong@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx --------------= -------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2004 SF Chronicle