As the world witnesses the explosive growth of the Low Altitude Economy (LAE), Vietnam stands out with a pioneering enterprise that is actively shaping this emerging sector.
The rapid advancement of UAVs, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT), aircraft, airships, spatial stations, and airspace management systems for monitoring and operations is unlocking a new economic stratum below an altitude of 3,000 meters, known as the LAE. This represents an aggregation where terrestrial human and machine activities across various economic sectors are elevated into the airspace, achieving significantly higher productivity.
Currently, only a select few nations, such as Japan, Belgium, the United States, and China, are vigorously developing the low-altitude economy. Among them, China is particularly prominent, having officially launched its LAE framework in 2023 with an initial valuation of approximately $69.8 billion. Forecasts suggest that by the end of 2025, the total market value directly and indirectly related to the LAE will reach roughly $550 billion, demonstrating a staggering growth rate in this sector.
On the international map, names like Unifly (Belgium) and Aloft (USA) are engaged in a desperate bid to define the skies, ranging from U-Space, LAANC to UTM/USS services. Meanwhile, the UAV logistics sector is witnessing the boldness of SF Express, JD.com, and Meituan in China. On the eVTOL axis, Vertical Aerospace (UK) is pursuing a long-haul certification roadmap with world-class aviation partners for passenger UAVs. In parallel, Cloud/AI platforms such as UCloud, Huawei Cloud, and Baidu Apollo are becoming the fertile “soil” where flight data, simulation, and operational intelligence take root. Terra Drone – Japan’s leading LAE company, is expanding its inspection and surveillance ecosystem into Indonesia. However, having recently stumbled due to a headquarters fire incident in Jakarta that claimed 22 lives, it appears they may have to make way for the rise of younger nations.
In Vietnam, GASCO – General Aviation Services Company (a member of CT Group), bears a name unchanged since 2012, standing as a destiny seemingly preordained by creation. In 2024, GASCO, through CT Group, caught the industry by surprise by submitting a proposal for the development of the Low Altitude Economy to regulatory bodies. Simultaneously, they have been quietly laying the groundwork for a Global Headquarters for the LAE – Project Space Ship One (SS1). Retaining its original project name from 2012, SS1 is a research, testing, and service training complex boasting a massive floor area of 500,000 m², located directly adjacent to Terminal T3 of Tan Son Nhat Airport. This is home to thousands of expert engineers specially trained for highly specialized missions, organized into over 600 departments serving more than 600 types of LAE services globally across 16 industries and 72 sub-sectors. Thanks to its massive scale and strategic location, SS1 acts as a solid “launchpad” for integrated R&D, testing, and training activities, as well as international logistics systems. This facility is poised to shorten the commercialization process and accelerate the logistics and international demonstration capabilities of the Low Altitude Economy.
ASEAN LAE Center Project – Space Ship One (SS1) located adjacent to Terminal 3 -Tan Son Nhat International Airport
By leveraging a comprehensive technology ecosystem that converges advanced solutions, ranging from Core Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Semiconductors, Aviation, Automation, Satellites, and 5G/6G, to Digital Infrastructure Technologies like Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM), Urban Air Mobility (UAM), and the 15-layer National Digital Twin (NDT 15), GASCO has established itself as the pioneer LAE company in Vietnam to possess an all-encompassing technology framework. This foundation empowers GASCO to achieve end-to-end autonomy, spanning from research and manufacturing to the large-scale deployment of LAE applications.
The UAV PCB – SMT manufacturing plant of CT UAV at CT Group Hi-Tech R&D Center – DT 743 Boulevard, Thuan An, near Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City
Another defining differentiator of GASCO lies in its global deployment capabilities. The enterprise currently boasts a network of hundreds of experts positioned across the globe. This fusion of specialized, multinational human capital enables GASCO to implement LAE models worldwide, a feat that even many major technology conglomerates in the region have yet to achieve.
The most profound and powerful testament to GASCO’s capabilities is the national-level strategic partnership established in early 2025 with Indonesia – the “waking dragon” of the G20 in Southeast Asia. The Indonesian Government has entrusted GASCO with the implementation of its Low Altitude Economy. This stands as a historic milestone, marking the first time a Vietnamese enterprise has possessed the capacity to undertake the deployment of a national Low Altitude Economy for a foreign government.
CT Group and the Government of Indonesia signed a cooperation agreement on LAE implementation for Indonesia on August 20, 2025.
Mr. Nguyen Tuan Au – Deputy Director of Business Development at GASCO stated: “LAE is an entirely new economy capable of generating breakthrough growth in GDP. In this domain, CT Group and GASCO have now mastered the entire ecosystem, ranging from core technologies to infrastructure, applications, and services. With the necessary facilitation from relevant authorities and the State, we are poised for breakthrough development. We are committed to accompany the nation in expanding LAE across 35 provinces and cities in Vietnam, establishing LAE as a national spearhead technology, thereby contributing to the country’s strategic development goals in the new era.”
GASCO is steadily realizing its “Go Global” objective. As Vietnam’s pioneer and flagbearer in the LAE sector, the company possesses the full capability to compete on an equal footing with the world’s most advanced technological superpowers in this new economy, ultimately placing Vietnam on the global map of the most prominent high-tech nations.
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