About Bùi Thanh Liêm
Lived 1949 – 1981 (aged 32). Bùi Thanh Liêm was a Vietnamese astronaut.
Bùi Thanh Liêm (June 30, 1949 - September 26, 1981) was a Vietnamese cosmonaut.
Born in Hanoi, Vietnam, he was a pilot for the Vietnam People's Air Force who rose to the rank of captain and flew many combat missions during the Vietnam War. In 1978, Liêm graduated from Gagarin Military Air Academy at Monino, Moscow Oblast, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Union.
Liêm was selected as backup of Phạm Tuân, who was the first Vietnamese and the first Asian in space on the Soyuz 37 mission. In 1981, he was killed in a MiG-21 aeroplane crash during a training flight over the Gulf of Tonkin, off the coast of northern Vietnam.
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Important facts
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Bùi Thanh Liêm?
Vietnamese astronaut (1949–1981)
When was Bùi Thanh Liêm born?
Bùi Thanh Liêm was born on 30 June 1949 in Hanoi.
When did Bùi Thanh Liêm die?
Bùi Thanh Liêm died on 26 September 1981 in Gulf of Tonkin.
What was Bùi Thanh Liêm's occupation?
Bùi Thanh Liêm was an astronaut.
What nationality was Bùi Thanh Liêm?
Bùi Thanh Liêm was Vietnamese.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bùi Thanh Liêm. https://biography.guide/bui-thanh-liem/
MLA: "Bùi Thanh Liêm." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bui-thanh-liem/.
Chicago: "Bùi Thanh Liêm." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bui-thanh-liem/.
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