FPT tests UAVs to unlock Vietnam's $10 billion low-altitude economy

Dien Bien province has begun testing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for foliar fertilizer spraying on coffee trees in the mountainous Muong Ang commune, as part of a broader effort to develop Vietnam’s low-altitude economy using drone technology.

Sandbox test for UAVs in agriculture

The pilot was conducted by the Dien Bien Provincial People’s Committee in partnership with FPT and Truong Thinh Drone in Muong Ang commune. The event was attended by Trần Tiến Dũng, a Central Party official and Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Le Thanh Do, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Council, along with leaders from relevant departments and agencies and local residents.

According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology, Dien Bien is the first locality nationwide to propose participating in a sandbox under the low-altitude economy development model that applies UAVs within the province.

Project scope and deployment

Under the project, FPT will cooperate with Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group and drone partners such as Truong Thinh Drone to apply UAVs in agriculture, including foliar spraying, rice sowing, and crop monitoring.

At the ceremony, FPT and Truong Thinh Drone deployed UAVs to spray leaf fertilizer on coffee trees in the Ang Cang Lake area (Ban Manh Dang). The drones sprayed fertilizer over about 1 hectare in roughly 10 minutes, demonstrating stable flight paths and precise fertilizer distribution across the crop area.

Time and resource savings

The use of UAVs is expected to reduce labor requirements and material waste through route-control algorithms. The article compares drone spraying with manual methods:

• Drone spraying: about 1 hectare in roughly 10 minutes.
• Manual spraying in plains: 2–3 hours per hectare.
• Manual spraying in mountainous areas: up to 3 man-days per hectare due to terrain and the need to haul water uphill.
• Water use per hectare: manual spraying about 200 liters versus drone usage about 30–50 liters.

Why UAVs matter for Dien Bien

With about 90% of its terrain consisting of hills and mountains, Dien Bien faces challenges including dispersed agricultural land, limited mechanization, shrinking labor availability, and rising production costs. Introducing UAVs is presented as a way to optimize farming processes, address labor shortages, and reduce material use, supporting a move toward precision agriculture.

Broader applications beyond spraying

Vu Anh Tu, CEO of FPT UAV, said that in the Mekong Delta there are already about 10,000 agricultural drones operating strongly in Dong Thap and An Giang. For Dien Bien’s mountainous conditions, he said drone technology can help people work faster, more accurately, and more affordably, improving productivity while reducing labor.

Beyond spraying and seeding, the article notes that UAVs can also be used to transport agricultural products, goods, and medical supplies, conduct surveillance, and support tourism. If deployed effectively, it says this could help form an integrated ecosystem for the province, create more jobs, and support economic development and tourism.

Pilot goals and policy alignment

The Muong Ang UAV pilot is intended to test real-world effectiveness and provide a scientific basis to assess and refine procedures before scaling up, ensuring safety and suitability to local conditions.

At the event, Vu Van Cuong, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, emphasized the significance of the initiative and urged the Department of Science and Technology to accelerate the application of science and technology, implement the low-altitude economy model, and use UAVs to support farming to boost productivity and labor efficiency.

Investment and national targets

FPT UAV CEO Vu Anh Tu said FPT hopes to accompany Dien Bien province “step by step,” integrating technology into practice to improve production efficiency, reduce labor, protect health, save resources, and open up new development directions.

The article also states that FPT announced investment in UAV research and development and the establishment of FPT UAV. It links these efforts to support for implementing Resolution 57-NQ/TW of the Political Bureau and using science and technology to drive socioeconomic development.

It further notes that Vietnam’s low-altitude economy could bring $10 billion and create 1 million jobs by 2035. The article says FPT has promoted the sector by initiating and forming the Low-Altitude Economy Alliance and collaborating with international technology training organizations to train high-quality UAV professionals.