By Kimberley Kao
Boeing signed deals to sell almost 100 jets to Vietnamese carriers valued at over $30 billion, signaling warming ties between the U.S. and Vietnam as trade talks continue.
The deals were signed during a visit to the U.S. by the head of Vietnam's Communist Party, To Lam, for the inaugural meeting of President Trump's Board of Peace. The meeting is set to debut Trump's vision for a new international organization to cement Middle East peace and rebuild Gaza.
The aircraft maker struck a $22.5 billion deal to sell up to 40 787-9 Dreamliners to Vietnam-based carrier Sun PhuQuoc Airways. The order is the largest ever for wide-body aircraft by a Vietnamese airline, and the first direct aircraft purchase by Sun PhuQuoc Airways, parent company Sun Group said in a social-media statement Thursday.
The newly established, privately owned Sun PhuQuoc Airways plans to expand its fleet to 100 aircraft by 2030, Sun Group said.
"Our partnership with Boeing establishes a strong foundation for building a world-class airline that operates in sync with the tourism and resort ecosystem Sun Group has developed," Sun Group Chairman Dang Minh Truong said in a separate statement.
The deal came as flag carrier Vietnam Airlines signed an order for 50 Boeing 737 Max jets, valued around $8 billion, as part of an earlier announced U.S.-Vietnam trade pact. The carrier also plans to invest more than $12 billion in 30 wide-body Boeing aircraft, it said.
Separately, budget airline VietJet signed a financing agreement with Griffin Global Asset Management for six Boeing 737-8 aircraft, valued around $965 million at list prices.
"The agreement marks a significant step in VietJet's strategy to diversify international funding sources while strengthening its financial capacity and capital structure in line with global standards," the airline said.
VietJet also signed an engine and maintenance services agreement with Pratt & Whitney, valued around $5.4 billion.
In October, the U.S. said it signed a framework agreement with Vietnam that could provide the foundation for a fuller trade deal. Vietnam agreed to purchase Boeing aircraft as part of the pact, and the U.S. agreed to identify goods it would exempt from its tariff, which otherwise remains at 20% for Vietnam. The two countries have yet to finalize an agreement.
Write to Kimberley Kao at kimberley.kao@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 18, 2026 23:55 ET (04:55 GMT)
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