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Vietnam is a small and densely populated country wouldn't we know right away if this plane did go down?
I would think the same thing, but it leads me to believe it must have gone down somewhere in the ocean. I am currently working so I don't know the exact route it would have taken.
With all of the technology on airplanes today, it is a very bad sign if one goes missing.
Not necessarily, some parts of Vietnam are still very remote and sparsely populated.
Was this particular flight over land or over the South China Sea? The news reports say "over Vietnamese airspace" which seems to indicate that it could have gone into the water.
In the worst case wouldn't there normally be some communication between the pilots and the airports about problems? Seems like if it would be unusual for it to lose contact so suddenly, but I'm no pilot either....
Haha, no doubt. As a pilot, I can barely stand to watch the news coverage of aviation stories. Makes me doubt their credibility when they talk about matters that I am not intimately familiar with. And don't even get me started on politics.
Exactly. I can understand keeping the detail level fairly minimal as to not confuse those not familiar with aviation, but to leave out very pertinent information is poor reporting. Whether it was a 772ER or LR makes a huge difference in potential range and how long the aircraft could stay aloft; how long the plane has been missing for would let us know whether or not the aircraft could still be airborne at this particular moment in time; if there was weather in the area would let us know if that could be a factor in the incident. That is information the news networks have at their disposal, but neglect to put on the air. Instead, they rely on baseless speculation. Sometimes I feel they do it to sensationalize even the saddest of stories, which would be very low.
Not necessarily, some parts of Vietnam are still very remote and sparsely populated.
Was this particular flight over land or over the South China Sea? The news reports say "over Vietnamese airspace" which seems to indicate that it could have gone into the water.
The Xinhua News Agency, citing a local Vietnamese media report, says a Vietnamese search and rescue official reported that the signals have been detected from the plane from about 220 kilometers (120 miles) southwest of Vietnam's southernmost coastal province of Ca Mau.
Sad, I was hoping for a crash landing on land where we at least have a possibility of survivors
Planes do have ELTs (Emergency Locator Transmitter) which give off a signal when exposed to salt water. I'm not sure how effective they are deep under water though or after a crash. They are intended to be used after ditching (controlled landing on the water).
The way planes are located (other than by eyewitnesses or pilots providing location) is by the last Air Traffic Control radar position.
Sad, I was hoping for a crash landing on land where we at least have a possibility of survivors
Bahia Bakari
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I hate the fact that I'm not hopeful for a happy ending to this. 
