airlines later this year. the enemieser -- takingater this over vietnam means airlines later this year.gnificant is this? is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets. the airports here are full of passengers in the know i and ho chi minh city. with --orts are packed annoi and ho chi minh city. they are seeing double growth every year. 49% of these passengers flew last year. it's a growth story. why is this japanese interested in vietnam in particular? john: it views it as part of its growth strategy in asia. something like one in five vietnamese in a country of 90 million are flying today. within two decades, virtually -- all enemies will be vietnamese will be taking to the air. for vietnam airlines, tying up an elite carrier will not only give it a larger market but help the airline increase its standards. it had a goal to become a four-star, five-star carrier in the future, and it is facing very tough competition from vietjet, which could overtake vietnam airlines as the leading domestic market carrier. t aream airlines and vietje fromg the newest aircraft airbus and boeing

. >> ana holding is pursuing a tie-up with vietnam airlines. hey aim to capitalize on growing travel demand in the region. ana officials said the two firms have reached a basic agreement. the japanese carrier will buy 8.8% of vietnam's flag carrier for about $110 million. the vietnamese government holds a 95% stake in the country's largest airline. managers working to privatize the company had been looking for an overseas partner to contribute capital. ana is planning joint operation of routes between the two countries. vietnam airlines currently shares flight service with japan airline. ana official says that arrangement is expected to change. >>> here's a look at some of the other business stories we're following. japan's current account in november was in the black for the 17th straight month. the surplus was more than $9 billion. finance ministry officials say lower crude oil prices were a factor. the current account balance is the broadest measure of trade and investment with other countries. a government survey suggests workers in japan we