Boeing Co. will assist the Vietnamese aviation watchdog to meet strict standards to soon be allowed to launch nonstop service to the United States, according to an agreement the two signed Monday in Hanoi.

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The U.S. aircraft maker will provide technical and training assistance to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), so that the latter can obtain the Category 1 rating by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to the document.

The signing was witnessed by the Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Transport, Nguyen Ngoc Dong, and U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius.

The FAA conducts the International Aviation Safety Assessment Program (IASA), assessing the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of each country that has carriers operating to the U.S., according to its website.

“An IASA assessment determines if the foreign CAA provides oversight to its carriers that operate to the U.S. according to international standards,” the FAA said.

Such international standards are developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency, and Annexes 1, 6, and 8 of the International Convention on Civil Aviation, according to the U.S aviation administration.

If the CAA meets standards, the FAA gives that authority a Category 1 rating, which means “the air carriers from the assessed state may initiate or continue service to the United States in a normal manner and take part in reciprocal code-share arrangements with U.S. carriers,” according to the aviation administration.

Boeing will help the CAAV complete a corrective action plan and train its officials to achieve the Category 1 rating, and thus qualify to offer direct cargo and passenger flights to and from the U.S.

Passengers currently have to transit in a third country on their flights between Vietnam and the U.S.

“Vietnam Airlines and other carriers all wish the CAAV to obtain the Category 1 rating so they can fly directly to the U.S.,” CAAV chief Lai Xuan Thanh said at the signing ceremony, adding the United States is “a very important market to Vietnamese businesses.”

In 2011 national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines purchased four Boeing 777-200ERs in the first trade transaction after the two countries signed a bilateral trade treaty, according to newswire The Saigon Times Online.

Also on Monday, a conference titled “Vietnam-United States relationship: For 20 More Successful Years” was hosted in the capital city to place the stepping stones for their bilateral relationship over the next 20 years and more.

The event was centered on discussing the lessons learned in the past 20 years of diplomatic, economic, and security and political relations between Vietnam and the U.S., and opportunities and challenges for the next 20 years.

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