The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Cục Hàng không Dân dụng Việt Nam) (CAAV) is the aviation authority under the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam. It handles and regulates civil aviation in Vietnam. Among its functions are: the formulation of plans and programs to develop civil aviation; the development of legal drafts, regulations and standards relating to civil aviation; information dissemination and education on aviation law; aviation safety and security; airport, aircraft and flight management; environmental protection; search and rescue and flood prevention; ratifying air fares proposed by airlines operating in Vietnam; research and development; handling complaints and/or violations of aviation law; administrative reform; and financial and personnel affairs.
As of 2001, CAAV managed 19 airports throughout Vietnam, focusing on three main international airports: Tan Son Nhat Airport, Noi Bai Airport, and Da Nang Airport. The agency has its headquarters in Gia Thụy Ward, Long Biên District, Hanoi.
The agency was founded as Vietnam Civil Aviation in January 1956 by the Vietnam People's Air Force (Ministry of Defense), upon the issuance of Decision No.666/TTG of the Vietnamese government. It was originally tasked with state management, national defense, and commercialization of air transportation. The aviation sector expanded greatly during its formative years, expanding from a few aircraft in what was then North Vietnam to eventually include a fleet of over 50 aircraft (including both Soviet- and American-made craft) in a unified Vietnam after 1976. Infrastructure was improved during this time, as airports country-wide were equipped with better facilities and materials for flight management and operations. CAAV grew to serve around 250,000 passengers a year, both domestically and on international routes to China, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.