This course takes you from never having touched a wing to launching, flying and landing on your own under instructor supervision. The programme follows Mebayluon's own training standard, built on the IPPI and APPI standards and adapted to flying conditions in Vietnam. It is skills training and does not issue a licence — see the licence section below. Intensive does not mean abridged. The practice hours and number of flights stay at standard; what is compressed is the waiting time between sessions, because you stay at the flying site and can fly in every good window.
The two skill standards you will reach
P1 standard. The first level of the school's training standard. You cover the theory foundation: basic meteorology, flight mechanics, air law and collision avoidance rules, equipment use and care, condition analysis, mental state. In practice: ground handling (you need to master one of the two inflation techniques, forward or reverse), the 7-step pre-flight check (wind, wing, helmet, harness, brakes, all clear, turn direction), the five phases of launch, low flights and the first supervised solo flights with radio guidance. P2 standard. The next level, corresponding to a minimum of 10 flights. You go deeper: how the day develops, the causes of collapses and stalls, the glider speed range, drift correction in crosswind, and one complete landing approach technique. You are also introduced to active piloting, 360° turns and big ears — skills you will master at P3–P4. Reaching the P2 standard means you have the skills to fly solo under instructor supervision with radio contact.
Schedule and workload
• Duration: 5–7 consecutive days (5 if you learn quickly; 6–7 when a weather reserve day or extra time is needed) • Theory: one session of about 60–90 minutes for the whole course; a short briefing before every exercise • Practice: 30 hours on the ground and in the air • Low flights: 10–15 by hand tow, 5–7 m high, working on launch, control and landing • High (solo) flights: 5–10, flying from the main launch down to the landing field Paragliding depends on weather. On a bad day the session moves to theory and ground handling — no day is wasted.
Day-by-day course plan. The standard plan runs 6 days, and each stage has its own article: what you practise and the standard you must reach before moving on.
Day 3: slalom, killing and packing →
Day 4: first flights by hand tow →
Day 5: theory, weather and simulator →
Day 6: the first high flight →
Paragliding theory for P1–P2 and 30 quiz questions →
Do I get a licence?
The 5–7 day course teaches skills to Mebayluon's training standard (built on the IPPI and APPI standards) and is enough for you to fly solo about 5–10 times. But P1–P2 is still a student level, not a pilot level, so the course does not issue a licence. If you want a licence, train for another 1–3 months to complete your skills — above all landing on your own — and then go straight to the P3 exam, without sitting P1 or P2. At P1–P2 you still fly under instructor supervision, so a separate (and fairly expensive) exam adds nothing; the 5–7 day course puts all its time into knowledge and skills.
Fees and what is included
15,000,000 VND per student · group of two: 14,000,000 VND per person Included: • Accommodation at the flying site for the whole course • All training equipment • All flying equipment: wing, harness, helmet, reserve, radio • Direct instruction and radio supervision • One free tandem flight for the student Not included: meals, drinks, travel to the site.
Requirements
Normal health, no heart, blood-pressure or epileptic conditions. Enough fitness to run several dozen metres in a harness clipped to the wing, and to carry your equipment pack on the training field. No fear of heights severe enough to prevent following instructions. Under-18s need parental or guardian consent. Bring ankle-high boots with a good grip, gloves, a long-sleeved top and long trousers; the school provides the wing, harness, reserve, helmet and radio. No prior experience needed. Most of our students start from zero.
Location and accommodation
The course runs at the Khau Pha Pass flying site in Mu Cang Chai (Lao Cai) — launch at 1,268 m near the top of the pass; landing in Lim Thai village, among the terraced fields of the Lim Mong valley. Students stay at the Mebayluon Clubhouse beside the landing field for the whole course, included in the fee. Staying on site is why the course can be compressed: when conditions are good you fly, with no travel time lost.
About the Khau Pha flying site →
Course dates
The course is taught one to one — each student has their own instructor, and the pace follows your progress rather than a class average. Start dates are flexible and arranged around the student, not fixed intakes. Contact us in advance to confirm dates and reserve a room at the Clubhouse. Khau Pha flies most of the year; the rice terraces are most spectacular in the water-pouring season (May–June) and the golden season (mid-September to early October).
Done P1 already, or had a long break? Refresher course →
Solid at P2? Advanced P2–P3 course →
Learning to paraglide: how long it takes, P1–P5 levels →
What you get after the course
The course does not end on the last day. Mebayluon students receive: • Free ongoing flying support — come back to the site and we will support your flights at no charge • Equipment guidance after the course — advice on choosing a wing, harness and reserve suited to your level, weight and flying style, instead of buying on guesswork This is the part few courses mention: the most dangerous period for a pilot is not while training, but during the first flights after leaving the school. We stay with you through that period.
Want to know what each day of the course covers and how you train? Read the series Paragliding P1–P2 Course, Days 1–2: Ground Handling.
Enrol now · contact +84 964 073 555 →
Not ready to train yet? Start with a tandem flight — see paragliding in Mu Cang Chai prices.
