The three, Than Van Tan, 42, Ton Van Chinh, 47, and Tran Vo Hong Phat, 26, flew three flute kites fitted with flashing lights in an open area within Tan Binh Industrial Park on the evening of Aug. 13. Tan said he owns all three kites, and the group met through a Facebook community for flute-kite enthusiasts.

At around 7:40 p.m. on the day, flight-operation units detected unidentified objects, initially suspected to be unmanned aerial vehicles, near Tham Luong Bridge. By 8:02 p.m., the objects were located in Tay Thanh Ward, directly along an approach path used by aircraft preparing to land.

For safety reasons, the Southern Airports Authority ordered a temporary suspension of all take-offs and landings at Tan Son Nhat Airport. Aircraft preparing to land were instructed to enter holding patterns while departing flights were temporarily held on the ground.

Flight operations resumed at 8:16 p.m. after authorities determined that conditions were safe. The 14-minute suspension caused knock-on disruption to 21 flights.

The incident caused authorities to search for the source of the objects, finding three flashing-light flute kites launched from an open area about 2.5 km from the airport. At one point, the kites soared to roughly 400 meters, entering the airspace reserved for aircraft on approach to land.

Officers confiscated all three kites and took the three individuals involved to the station for questioning to determine what, if any, charges were to be laid.

On the evening of Aug. 11, the airport had to suspend take-offs and landings twice over two hours after pilots repeatedly spotted unmanned aerial vehicles at altitudes between 550 and 900 meters in the approach area.

Authorities have urged the public to comply with aviation safety regulations and refrain from flying kites or balloons, operating unmanned aerial vehicles, or releasing free-flying objects in areas where they could affect aviation operations, thereby avoiding the risk of causing potentially serious aviation incidents.