(VNF) – “It is unbelievable, she is the captain!” exclaimed many passengers, who are absolutely taken by surprise when seeing the gorgeous captain on the Airbus 321 (Vietnam Airlines) Huynh Ly Dong Phuong.

Talking about ‘modern office’, the first idea flashed through most people’s mind will be ‘skycraper’.

For Huynh Ly Dong Phuong, the hard-to-find lady captain of Vietnam Airlines (VNA), the answer will be ‘SKY’, simply and literally.

“To me, the most beautiful office is the sky, no workplace can have such perse views, with the change taking place every day" Phuong said, excitedly.

The most beautiful office is the sky, Phuong said. (source: Huynh Ly Dong Phuong's facebook)

Destined to serve Motherland

Phuong was born and brought up in Belgium, her parents are from Vietnam’s Southern central province of Phu Yen.

Despite many years residing overseas, the love for homeland never faded in her family.

Wishing to remind the little daughter about their roots, Phuong's parents took their little daughter to Vietnam every summer break, to keep in touch with relatives and close friends.

Phuong's dreamt was brewed during her childhood years. (illustrative photo: khoahoc.tv)

“My memory of Vietnam as a kid was associated with the image of the air plane, because we always traveled to homeland via air route. I still remember the amazing and admiring feeling when watching the crew busily get ready for the flight on a Boeing 747. Probably my dream was kindled from that moment.”

At the age of 17, Phuong decided to make her childhood dream come true by enlisting for the Belgian Air Forces. However, her first attempt was not successful.

Nonetheless, failure did not hinder the tenacious girl's efforts. Instead of giving up, Phuong looked for another path to her dream by convincing parents to let her pursue a course in commercial pilot training.

But who knows life sometimes is not that smooth-sailing.

When Phuong graduated from high school and prepared for attending the course, her father suddenly passed away. Following her dad’s wish, Phuong left aside her childhood dream and took a economics-related major instead.

Nevertheless, the love for the pilot career never faded. Two years later, Phuong made her turn by getting admited to ESMA Aviation Academy (Montpellier, France).

In her batch, there were only 4 ladies out of 32 trainees, and all of them were born in family with aviation background, Phuong recalled.

ESMA Aviation Academy was where Phuong learned to 'spread her wings'. (source: ESMA )

After three years of extreme hard work in ESMA, Phuong had completed all the nerve-wracking modules for pilot training which require excellent mental and physical capabilities. The Vietnamese girl even graduated with distinguished result.

Coincidentally, during the course, Phuong had chance to mingle with other trainees from Vietnam Airlines. They were the ones who suggested her to work in Vietnam, Phuong said.

After accumulating the qualified number of flight hours (nearly 3,000 hrs) on Airbus 320, 321 and overcome another intensive training program, Phuong officially became the first female captain of the Airbus A321 fleet (Vietnam Airlines).

Phuong's milestone also proves that the biases imposed on women in aviation industry are all wrong. "If there is a will, there will be a way."

For her and many female co-workers, their limit is not decided by anyone or anything. The sky is the limit.

Overcome every obstacle

Pilot are often perceived as having a 'priviledged job', 'dazzling pay' and 'luxurious life'. They travel to many destinations, dress in branded apparels, eating in high-end restaurant, etc. However, there is no such free lunch in this world.

extended periods away from home, no weekend or holidays.

Captain Phuong and her flight crew (source: Huynh Ly Dong Phuong's facebook)

For Phuong, she did not hesitate to share, for women, things even got more difficult, including women’s peculiar health issues and the biases of society. “My difficulty is making people accept the fact I am a pilot first and a female second, not the other way around,” she said in an e-mail.

According to Phuong, working in the man-dominated field, women have to put in multi folds of effort to prove her capabilities. Currently in VN Airlines, there are only more than 10 female pilots out of 1,000.

"Balancing life and work is tough", Phuong admited in an interview with VTV last year.

In addition, when a female pilot get married, things might change a lot, she added.

Maintaining the balance between work and life is what Phuong has been striving for. (source: Huynh Ly Dong Phuong's facebook)

At the moment, Phuong has been married for 3 months. The captain of VNA still keeps dedicating her expertise and experience to every flight she takes charge, and besides, trying her best to cherish precious moments with family and friends.

It has been almost 8 years since her first flight with the national air carrier.

In future, if she needs more time for family, Phuong said she might consider seek permission from the airline for reduction of workload or change of flight route, neither resignation nor retirement.

The passion for the sky has become part of her blood, Phuong stated in the interview with VTV.

Despite the tough job which requires an 'iron mind', the captain, in her daily life, remains a gentle and feminine lady, who love cuddling pets, grabbing a cup of coffee with friends, traveling and capture the moments through camera lense.

Phuong was also open to share about her core value in life, which are "happiness" and "morality. "I will never do anything which can harm others", she said./.

( Phi Yen (translated from Phu Yen News) )