Vietnam to open airport near Ha Long Bay in 2017
An airport near Ha Long Bay will be opened at the end of 2017 to serve two million passengers a year, news website Dau Tu reported on February 23, citing authorities in the northern province of Quang Ninh.
The province's vice chairman Nguyen Van Thanh made the announcement at a meeting with the Ministry of Transport. The project has been delayed for nearly a year due to a longer than expected feasibility study process.
With a cost estimate of nearly VND7.5 trillion (US$331.7 million) for its first stage, Quang Ninh Airport will be built on Van Don Island, about 50 kilometers from the famous bay.
It will cover an area of around 290 hectares with one runway, one terminal, and parking spots for four medium to large aircraft.
The airport is expected to be expanded after 2020 to serve five million passengers a year.
A group of Korean investors, including Korea Airports Corporation and POSCO Engineering and Construction, was originally assigned to build the airport under a built-operate-transfer arrangement.
After they made an exit early last year, real estate conglomerate Sun Group reportedly took over the project.
