The Vietnamese government has recently approved a master plan that envisions the country having 10 international airports in the coming decade. The plan, which was created by the Ministry of Transport, calls for several existing airports to be expanded and for several new facilities to be constructed.
No Bai International Airport in Hanoi will be upgraded into a major international facility that will be able to handle traffic from the largest planes, including the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A380. By 2020 it will be able to receive more than 20 million passengers and 260,000 tons of cargo.
New airports are being constructed or planned are the Phu Quoc International Airport, which will be completed in 2012, and the Long Thanh International Airport. This new facility will be 50 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh City and will be the largest in the country.
Upgraded facilities will increase the capacity of other airports to meet international standards. Can Tho International Airport, in the Mekong Delta, will have its reconstruction complete in 2010. Haiphong’s Cat Bi International Airport will be expanded, as will Da Nang, Phu Bai, Cam Ranh and Chu Lai airports. Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport will also be upgraded and enlarged by 2015.
