The deal was witnessed by His Excellency Tran Dai Quang, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and US President Barack Obama.

The airplanes will be delivered from 2019 through 2023 to support VietJet's expansion in domestic and international networks. The agreement will help to increase the carrier’s, which is the country’s only private airline, fleet to more than 200 airplanes by end of 2023.

"Our investment in a fleet of B737 Max 200 will accommodate our strategy of growing VietJet's coming international route network including long haul flights,” said VietJet president and chief executive Nguyen Thị Phuong Thao.

Until now, VietJet, which began operations only back in 2011, has largely been an Airbus customer, frequently acquiring A320 jets which compete with the Boeing 737 Max 200 planes.