Why did President Trump fly back to Ho Chi Minh City before going to Hanoi?

Leaving Da Nang on the afternoon of November 11, Air Force One carrying US President Donald Trump changed course to fly back to Ho Chi Minh City instead of going straight to Hanoi. That change of direction is the reason why the "flying fortress" Air Force One landed at Noi Bai 1 hour later than scheduled.

America continuously changes plans

According to the original schedule, Air Force One carrying President Donald Trump would depart Da Nang at 4 p.m., with a flight time of 55 minutes, the plane would land at Noi Bai at 4:55 p.m. However, the departure schedule changed two more times before finalizing the "red hour" for takeoff at 3:20 p.m.

With the priority airspace allocation for the US President's plane and the estimated arrival time in Hanoi, all preparations at Noi Bai are ready according to the flight plan for the plane carrying Mr. Donald Trump to land on the runway at 4:15 p.m.

During the program to welcome the 45th President of the United States to Hanoi for the first time, 80 reporters from domestic and international press agencies were given press cards at the airport. However, all were extremely surprised because by the time of landing, Mr. Donald Trump still did not appear.

Air Force One carrying President Donald Trump to Hanoi. Photo: AFP

At 4:58 p.m., Air Force One landed on the airport runway, and many believed that Donald Trump had arrived in Hanoi. However, the only people who left the plane were his entourage.

About 30 minutes later, another Air Force One landed. A few minutes after completing ground procedures, President Donald Trump stepped out in a black suit and a bright blue striped tie. Mr. Trump arrived in Hanoi 1 hour later than scheduled.

Why was the plane late?

According to a private source of Dan Tri reporter, after leaving Da Nang, the plane carrying President Donald Trump suddenly changed direction to fly back to Ho Chi Minh City. Air Force One made a journey of about 1 hour to the Nha Trang - Central Highlands area, then turned back to Hanoi.

At the same time, the second Air Force One took off from Da Nang International Airport to Noi Bai. When reaching the Hai Phong - Hanoi airspace, the plane carrying the entourage announced to land first, the remaining plane continued to circle in the sky and landed at Noi Bai at 17:26.

Few people know that, during President Donald Trump's trip to Vietnam this time, there were 12 special planes and 1,200 members of his entourage, including 6 special planes and a fleet of 11 cars brought to Hanoi.

On the afternoon of November 11, President Donald Trump arrived in Hanoi 1 hour later than scheduled. Photo: Huu Nghi

In fact, every foreign trip of the US President is prepared many months in advance and many security plans are carefully calculated. On the flight itinerary of the US President, there are always 3 accompanying planes, including 2 identical Air Force One planes with the purpose of not being able to determine which plane the US President is on.

Therefore, President Donald Trump's unexpected journey from Da Nang to Hanoi on the afternoon of November 11 is completely normal for the US security agency, this is to ensure absolute safety for the owner of the White House.

Two security rings protect the plane at night

During his State visit to Vietnam, US President Donald Trump stayed in Hanoi for one night. On the morning of November 12, Mr. Trump had a busy schedule working with Vietnamese leaders, and he left Hanoi for the Philippines in the afternoon of the same day.

According to a private source of Dan Tri reporter, the Air Force One plane that landed at Noi Bai airport on the night of November 11 was guarded as strictly as if it were protecting President Trump himself. Two security rings were tightened to ensure that no one could approach America's "flying fortress".

“The outer ring is the Vietnamese aviation security force, the inner ring is the US secret service force. At night, the US secret service requested to turn off the lights in the area of ​​the plane. They used sniffer dogs and kept watch until the next morning,” the source said.

It is known that from the separate location where Air Force One is parked to the commercial aviation area, it is more than 1km away. This distance ensures that the US Secret Service can observe and promptly handle any security issues that affect the President's plane.

According to Dan Tri