A long-forgotten MiG-21, “left idle for over four decades amid overgrown grassland” in Ca Mau Province, was “carefully relocated overnight” by provincial military authorities. Dozens of officers & soldiers used a 20-tonne crane & specialized transport vehicles to move the jet roughly four kilometers, “under the escort of traffic police & military control forces.” “Crowds gathered along the route, with many filming the unusual nighttime procession” despite safety barriers. The aircraft now weighs only about one metric ton after decades of deterioration & is “stored at the military facility for preservation & maintenance.”

Historical records show the jet was “one of three aircraft transported … for display in 1985” marking the 10th anniversary of Vietnam’s reunification. Two were later removed, but this MiG-21 remained under local management. “The responsible managing authority has yet to be identified owing to missing documentation.” According to a former air force colonel, the jet was donated by an Air Force representative office that was later dissolved; following administrative divisions, the aircraft “falls under local jurisdiction” rather than Military Region 9. Its frame is relatively intact, but “significant corrosion & deformation” have affected the wings, nose, & tail, & its “paint has largely peeled away.”