Hanoi plans second international airport in city's southernmost part

Vietnam's capital Hanoi plans to build a second international airport in the southernmost part of the city under its newly approved master plan, creating a dual-airport system alongside Noi Bai International Airport to accommodate long-term growth in passenger traffic and strengthen regional connectivity.

The plan, unveiled by the Hanoi People’s Committee on Monday, identifies the second airport as one of the city’s priority infrastructure projects for the 2031-2045 period.

The new airport will cover 1,500 hectares in Ung Hoa and Chuyen My communes. It will be built to international standards with an initial capacity of 30 million to 50 million passengers annually and developed under an airport-city model.

The airport is expected to become a key transport gateway for the capital while supporting urban expansion and economic development in southern Hanoi.

An earlier draft of the capital’s master plan, released for public consultation in March, had proposed locating the airport across Tram Long, Dong Tan, Minh Duc, and Kim Duong communes, about 40 km south of central Hanoi.

Under the latest plan, the airport will be integrated with the nearby Phu Xuyen urban area through an airport-city development model.

The project will be linked to Hanoi’s transport network via the Phap Van-Cau Gie and Cho Ben-Yen My expressways, the Ngoc Hoi-Phu Xuyen urban corridor, the southern economic corridor, and planned metro line No.9 connecting Ngoc Hoi, Thuong Tin, the new airport and Phu Xuyen.

The city also plans to build a high-speed railway station near the airport and reserve land for future north-south and east-west transport corridors.

Alongside the new airport, Hanoi will expand and modernize Noi Bai International Airport, increasing its annual capacity to about 50 million passengers while extending its area to around 1,500 hectares through southern expansion.

The master plan also calls for upgrading Gia Lam and Hoa Lac military airfields to serve dual civilian and military purposes.

In addition, the city plans to develop takeoff and landing sites at Hoa Lac, Soc Son, selected high-rise buildings, and transport hubs to accommodate emerging aviation technologies such as drones and electric air taxis.

Authorities said the dual-airport system will strengthen Hanoi’s role as a national and regional transportation hub by improving links with domestic destinations and international markets, particularly along economic corridors connecting Vietnam with China and Laos.

The city also plans to establish multimodal passenger transport hubs of national significance at both Noi Bai and the planned second airport to integrate air, rail, and road transportation.