VOA慢速英語：越南獲準開通直飛美國航班

Vietnam Airlines Can Now Fly Directly to US

越南獲準開通直飛美國航班

United States officials decided last week to let Vietnam fly passenger airplanes directly to U.S. airports. The decision is seen as another sign of international recognition for the Southeast Asian country.

美國官員上周決定允許越南客機直飛美國。該決定被視為這個東南亞國家獲得國際認可的另一個標志。

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on February 14 that it has awarded a "Category 1" rating for Vietnam. The rating means that Vietnamese companies have met international guidelines for air safety. And Vietnamese airlines can get permits from the FAA to fly directly to the United States and "carry the codes of U.S. carriers."

美國聯(lián)邦航空管理局(FAA)于2月14日宣布授予越南“一類”評級。該評級意味著越南公司符合國際航空安全準則，越南航空公司可以獲得美國聯(lián)邦航空管理局許可直飛美國，并“攜帶美國航空公司的代碼(即航班代碼共享)。”

Vietnam's Communist Party news website Nhan Dan reported that Vietnamese officials began working toward this goal in 2012. They set out to solve 49 safety problems that the FAA found a year later, the website said.

越南人民報(Nhan Dan)新聞網(wǎng)站報道稱，越南官員于2012年開始朝著這個目標努力。該網(wǎng)站稱，他們開始著手解決一年之后美國聯(lián)邦航空管理局發(fā)現(xiàn)的49個安全問題。

The FAA said its "Category 1" rating for Vietnam is based on an assessment made in August 2018. In order to keep the rating, Vietnam must follow international safety standards for aircraft operations and maintenance.

美國聯(lián)邦航空管理局表示他們對越南的“一類”評級是基于2018年8月的一項評估。為了保持這個評級，越南必須遵守飛機運營和維護的國際安全標準。

Adam McCarthy is chief economist with Mekong Economics, a development advisory service based in Hanoi. He noted, "It's been a slow and progressive bringing back [of] Vietnam into the international community."

亞當·麥卡蒂(Adam McCarthy)是湄公河經(jīng)濟的首席經(jīng)濟學家，這是一家位于河南的開發(fā)咨詢服務公司。他指出：“這是緩慢而漸進地將越南帶入國際社會。”

Bigger economy, more fliers

經(jīng)濟更強，飛機乘客更多

Last month, Vietnam officially joined the 11-country Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership. The trade agreement covers about 13.5 percent of the world economy. The European Union is also expected to negotiate its own trade deal with Vietnam.

上個月，越南正式加入由11個國家簽署的《全面與進步跨太平洋伙伴關系協(xié)定》。該貿(mào)易協(xié)定約占世界經(jīng)濟的13.5%。預計歐盟也將會與越南談判貿(mào)易協(xié)定。

These developments are expected to bring additional investment to the Vietnamese economy. Foreign investment has fueled Vietnam's economic growth of 6 to 7 percent a year since 2012.

預計這些發(fā)展將會給越南經(jīng)濟帶來額外投資。自2012年以來，外國投資推動越南經(jīng)濟年增長率達6%到7%。

The growth is set to expand the middle class to about one-third of the country's 93 million population by next year, the Boston Consulting Group estimates. And Vietnamese are spending some of their new wealth on airfares.

波士頓咨詢集團預計，到明年這些增長將會使該國的中產(chǎn)階級擴大到占該國9300萬人口的1/3左右。越南人開始將他們一些新的財富花在機票上。

In 2017, Vietnam had 94 million air passengers, including 13 million foreign nationals. That was 16 percent higher than the number a year earlier. The International Air Transport Association projects the country will become the world's fifth fastest growing aviation market by 2035.

2017年，越南發(fā)送了9400萬飛機乘客，其中包括1300萬外國人，比前一年的數(shù)字高出了16%。國際航空運輸協(xié)會預計，到2035年，該國將會成為全球增長第五快的航空市場。

Returnees, students and business travelers

海歸、學生和商務乘客

The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the United States is home to about 2.1 million people of Vietnamese ancestry in 2017. Many came after the former, U.S.-supported South Vietnam lost to the Communist north in the 1970s.

美國人口普查局估計，2017年美國大約有210萬越南人。許多人于上世紀70年代美國支持的南越敗給北越之后來到了美國。

Song Seng Wun is an economist with CIMB in Singapore. He said, "There are [Vietnamese] residents in the U.S. itself, so that alone would be good enough for airline connections if they see fit to."

Song Seng Wun 是新加坡聯(lián)昌國際銀行的經(jīng)濟學家。他說：“美國本地就有越南居民，如果他們認為合適，單此一項就能滿足航線連接的需求。”

The Nhan Dan website noted that about 30,000 Vietnamese students travel to the United States each year. And there will be more travelers as trade between the two countries expands.

越南人民報網(wǎng)站指出，每年約有3萬名越南學生前往美國。隨著兩國貿(mào)易擴大，將會有更多的乘客。

In the past, American carriers, such as United Airlines and Delta Airlines, operated direct flights to Vietnam. But they suspended those flights because of cost consideration.

過去，美國聯(lián)航和達美航空等美國航空公司有直飛越南的航班，但是他們出于成本考慮停飛了這些航班。

In addition to the national carrier Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways have also included flights to the U.S. in their plans. However, the companies will need to add airplanes that can fly non-stop to the U.S.

除了越南航空這家國家航空公司，越捷航空(VIetjet)和越竹航空(Bamboo Airways)也計劃開通直飛美國的航班。然而，這些公司需要添置能夠不?？恐憋w美國的飛機。

I’m Jonathan Evans.

喬納森·埃文斯報道。