Birdies on a Plane: Vietnam's Bamboo Airways banks on golf resorts for success

As Vietnam's aviation sector booms and passenger numbers rise at double-digit rates, local upstart Bamboo Airways is embracing what it hopes will be a novel way of standing out in a crowded market: Golf. Competition among airlines in Vietnam has intensified since Bamboo launched in January. AirAsia Group recently cancelled its foray into the Vietnamese market, and increased traffic has placed strain on Vietnam's ageing infrastructure. But Bamboo CE Trinh Van Quyet is confident he can fend off VietJet and Vietnam Airlines by using the airline to connect his golf resorts to cities in Vietnam and northeast Asia. "Even international airlines don't have an ecosystem like Bamboo's," said Quyet, chairman of Bamboo's parent company, FLC, which owns 5 golf resorts across the country. <br/>