What happened
On January 1, 2009, a Boeing 777-200, operating as flight VN224, departed Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City. While the aircraft, registration VN-A143, was climbing through 8,000 feet, the crew reported hearing a loud metallic noise. This was immediately followed by an engine failure EICAS message, aircraft vibration, and the smell of acid burning. Shortly thereafter, a left engine fire warning was triggered.
The flight crew initiated the engine fire checklist and discharged the first fire bottle, which caused the fire warning to cease. The crew declared an emergency and returned to Tan Son Nhat Airport, where they completed a successful landing using a single engine. There were no injuries among the two flight crew members, twelve cabin crew members, or the 318 passengers on board.