Vietnam’s Quang Ninh – home to Halong Bay – has welcomed the opening of an airport, a cruise port and a highway, major infrastructural developments expected to boost tourism to the province as well as create new opportunities for international trade and economic cooperation.
After two years of construction, Van Don International Airport opened 50km from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Halong Bay in Quang Ninh province.
This is the first international airport in Vietnam to be developed by a private company, namely, Sun Group, a Vietnamese developer of tourism, leisure and entertainment-focused properties and projects.
With a total investment of nearly 7.5 billion Vietnamese dong (US$310 million), the airport was constructed with the assistance of NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants).
As a new gateway for both domestic and international travellers visiting Halong Bay, the airport is expected to receive an estimated 2-2.5 million passengers annually for the next two years and five million per year by 2030.
On the same day, Sun Group officially unveiled the new Halong-Van Don Highway and Halong International Cruise Port in Quang Ninh.
The new four-lane, 60km-long highway is said to reduce travel time from Van Don Airport to Halong city to under 50 minutes.
With total investment of over one billion dong, Halong International Cruise Port is the province’s first cruise port dedicated to receiving international cruise ships.
Located in Bai Chay ward, Halong City, the port can accommodate two cruise ships (up to 225,000 GRT each) at the same time and a total of 8,460 passengers, including crew.
The port terminal, designed by Bill Bensley, is pegged to be a new landmark for the city province.
