“Green light” for upgrading Van Don International Airport

Van Don International Airport is proposed to have a new terminal T3 located north of the Air Traffic Control Tower, with a capacity of about 12.5 million passengers/year, bringing the total capacity of the entire port to 20 million passengers/year.

A corner of Van Don International Airport.

The Ministry of Finance has just issued Official Dispatch No. 15321/BTC-QLQH to the Ministry of Construction to comment on the planning dossier of Van Don International Airport - Quang Ninh for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.

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According to the Ministry of Finance, the adjustment of the detailed planning of Van Don International Airport for the period up to 2020, with a vision to 2030, was approved by the Ministry of Transport in Decision No. 497/QD-BGTVT dated March 15, 2018, with the function of an international airport for joint civil and military use.

In the period up to 2020, the number of passengers received at Van Don International Airport is 2-2.5 million passengers/year; by 2030, Van Don International Airport is expected to serve 5 million passengers/year and 51 thousand tons of cargo/year.

According to the Master Plan for the development of the national airport system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050 approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 648/QD-TTg dated June 7, 2023, Van Don International Airport is determined to reach an expected design capacity of 5 million passengers/year by 2030, with a vision to 2050, the expected design capacity is 20 million passengers/year.

In Decision No. 655/QD-TTg dated July 16, 2024 of the Prime Minister promulgating the Plan to implement the Master Plan for the development of the national airport and seaport system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, it is clearly stated that in the 2021-2025 period, the planning of 30 airports (including Van Don International Airport) will be completed, ensuring consistency with the Master Plan for the development of the national airport and seaport system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050.

“Therefore, to ensure that the planning of Van Don International Airport is consistent with the Master Plan for the development of the national airport system, planning for Van Don International Airport is necessary,” the leader of the Ministry of Finance emphasized.

Currently, implementing Resolution No. 66.2/2025/NQ-CP dated August 28, 2025 of the Government, ministries and localities are adjusting the planning for the period 2021-2030. Therefore, the Ministry of Finance requests the Ministry of Construction to review the content of the Draft Planning of Van Don International Airport, ensuring consistency and synchronization with related planning.

In Official Dispatch No. 15321, the Ministry of Finance requested to specifically assess the level of achievement of the design capacity according to the approved planning up to the present time; clearly analyze the causes and problems of the passenger output not reaching the expectation, thereby providing a basis for proposing suitable and feasible solutions, contributing to the effective implementation of the planning in the coming period.

The Ministry of Construction was also asked to supplement analysis and clarify the role and function of Van Don International Airport in the network of international airports in the country, especially in the system of international airports in the North (Noi Bai, Gia Binh, Cat Bi...).

According to the Ministry of Finance, the purpose of arranging runway No. 2 is to increase flexibility and operational capacity. However, the proposed size of runway No. 2 is 3,000×45 m, with a distance between the centers of the two runways of 215 m.

Therefore, the Ministry of Finance proposed to clarify the function of runway 2 (reserve, alternate or parallel operation) and choose the distance between the centers of the two runways appropriate to that function, in order to have a reasonable investment roadmap and ensure the feasibility of the planning. At the same time, clarify the orientation of exploiting aircraft types and flight distances (medium-range, long-range) in the planning, from which to calculate and choose the appropriate runway length.

Golden opportunity to break out

As the first private airport in Vietnam, with a strategic trading position in the Northern region, Van Don International Airport is level 4E. The airport has modern facilities, with a 3,600 m x 45 m runway, qualified to take off and land the world's most advanced aircraft such as the Boeing 787. The parking area has 7 parking positions, including 3 remote parking positions and 4 near parking positions. The passenger terminal has a capacity of 2.5 million passengers/year; the cargo handling area has a capacity of 10,000 tons/year.

In the explanation of the adjusted planning, the total construction cost is 46,279 billion VND (11,155 billion VND for the 2021-2030 period; 35,124 billion VND for the 2030-2050 period). Construction investment capital for items at Van Don International Airport is expected to be mobilized from many different sources: state budget capital, local capital, enterprise capital, loans and other capital sources.

Of which, non-state budget capital is expected to account for the majority. However, the Draft Plan has not specified the investment capital structure and has not included a preliminary assessment of the project's economic and financial efficiency. Therefore, the Ministry of Finance has no basis to comment on the project's investment capital needs.

“It is recommended to clarify solutions for mobilizing capital sources and investment methods to implement the planning to ensure feasibility. On that basis, develop a specific investment roadmap for each short-term, medium-term and long-term period, in accordance with actual exploitation needs and investment attraction capabilities,” the Ministry of Finance’s dispatch stated.

Regarding the capital expected to be allocated from the state budget, the Ministry of Finance requested clarification of investment capital needs, capital structure, and mobilization capacity to ensure feasibility, capital balance, and compliance with the provisions of the Law on Public Investment, the Law on State Budget, and relevant legal documents.

Previously, the Ministry of Construction issued Official Dispatch No. 9446/BXD-KHTC asking for opinions from ministries and branches on the planning dossier of Van Don International Airport for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.

The first highlight is that in the 2021-2030 period, Van Don International Airport is proposed to maintain the T1 passenger terminal with a capacity of 2.5 million passengers/year, and plan a new T2 passenger terminal with a capacity of about 2.5 million passengers/year to the South.

Vision to 2050, Van Don International Airport will maintain the T1 passenger terminal, expand the T2 passenger terminal to the South with a capacity of 5 million passengers/year; plan a new T3 terminal to the North of the Air Traffic Control Tower, with a capacity of about 12.5 million passengers/year, bringing the total capacity of the entire port to 20 million passengers/year.

The general aviation area is located separately within the passenger terminal, as general aviation mainly serves private aircraft and business travelers.

In addition, in the vision to 2050, Van Don International Airport is planned to add 1 parallel runway, 215 m west of the existing road, with dimensions of 3,000 x 45 m, with material curbs according to regulations.

Another notable point is that in the planning dossier that is seeking opinions from ministries, branches and localities, Van Don International Airport is proposed to plan a system of aircraft repair and maintenance services (hangars) that is the largest and most synchronous in the Northern region at present.

Specifically, in the period 2021-2030, Van Don International Airport is planned to have a Hangar area to meet the operations of airlines, with a configuration that can accommodate 4 wide-body aircraft and 2 narrow-body aircraft, with reserves for expansion when needed.

By 2050, Van Don International Airport is planned to expand its aircraft repair hangar to accommodate 6 wide-body aircraft and 3 narrow-body aircraft.

It is known that Van Don International Airport was invested by SunGroup Corporation, according to the planning approved in 2015 (except for the unfinished taxiway) and has officially been commercially exploited since December 2018.

However, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that broke out in 2019, flight operations at Van Don International Airport have been severely affected. The exploitation level is still low, less than 10% of the designed capacity.

According to the Aviation Services and Construction Consulting Joint Stock Company (AEC), Van Don International Airport is planned to serve the majority of domestic and international tourists to famous tourist areas of Quang Ninh, with great potential to attract from Northeast Asian markets. However, due to the impact of the pandemic, passenger traffic has declined sharply and has not yet recovered.

In addition, due to planning limitations, Van Don International Airport currently does not have enough services such as cargo terminal, aircraft repair hangar, food processing area and airport service areas. This makes the airport unable to attract major airlines to open routes to Quang Ninh, especially not attractive to aircraft maintenance and repair businesses with large investment needs.

However, according to AEC, Van Don International Airport is facing a "golden opportunity" to break through and become an important aviation traffic hub and aviation industry center in the country and region.

In terms of geographical location, within a radius of 2,000 km, Van Don International Airport can connect with major air cargo centers in the region and the world. The airport is only a few hours flight from economic, financial and tourist centers in the region, convenient for the development of tourism and international trade.

If calculated by air distance, from Van Don it only takes 1-2 hours to fly to economic, financial and tourist centers of China and capitals in Southeast Asia; only 3-4 hours to fly to Beijing (China), Seoul (Korea), Tokyo (Japan) or Dubai (UAE).

In particular, the Van Don Economic Zone has been identified by the Government as one of the key areas and strategic areas for Vietnam's socio-economic development. The goal is that by 2030, Van Don will become a green, modern, smart coastal city, and at the same time a leading economic and cultural center in the region.

“This vision emphasizes the role of Van Don as a new growth pole, capable of reshaping the development landscape of the Northeast region. In that strategic context, Van Don International Airport holds a key position,” said an AEC representative.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/den-xanh-cho-viec-nang-doi-cang-hang-khong-quoc-te-van-don-d430113.html