Navy and maritime police ships of Vietnam on March 9 arrived in the waters where the Malaysia Airlines plane Boeing 777-200 ER with 239 people on board was reported missing.

They began searching for the missing plane in the area at 07.00N – 104.00E and 07.31N – 104.00E, about 120 nautical miles southwest of Vietnam’s Ca Mau cape.

There has been no report on the suspected sign of the missing plane.

Vietnamese rescue forces join regional search for the missing Malaysian plane

On March 8, Vietnamese rescue forces discovered two possible oil slicks of between 15-20km in length, about 140km south of Vietnam’s Tho Chu island.

Deputy Minister of Transport Pham Quy Tieu, who is also deputy head of the National Committee on Search and Rescue, said the oil slicks are ‘unusual’ and rescue forces were verifying the fact.

Helicopters equipped with modern military binoculars and cameras took off on March 9 to picture the suspected oil slicks.

Vietnamese fishermen in southern Vietnam were informed of the incident, but they have yet to discover or rescue any foreign passengers on board the missing Malaysian plane.

Airport security intensified

The Ministry of Transport has asked the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAA) to intensify security measures at all airports.

It directed airport authorities to strengthen inspection and supervision of the observance of regulations on aviation security and safety to timely detect and handle violations.

Airlines were required to closely monitor the use and maintenance of aircraft for all domestic and international flights.

Malaysian officials on March 8 did not rule out the possibility that terrorism was behind their flight MH370’s disappearance.

"We are looking at all possibilities, but it is too early to make any conclusive remarks," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said.

The officials found two passengers who were listed on the plane's manifest were not actually on the flight. They both reportedly had their passports stolen in Thailand two years ago.

VNA