Lai Chau People's Committee is proposing competent authorities allow the construction of a domestic airport in the northern mountainous province in the form of public-private partnership (PPP).
Lai Chau Airport was named in the country's Air Transport Development Plan 2018. Accordingly, by 2030, it would serve as a level 3C civil and grade III military airport, covering 167 hectares in Tan Uyen town and with an annual capacity of 500,000 passengers.
Currently, some investors are interested in developing the airport, according to the provincial people's committee.
The province said it has proactively prepared to implement land use planning and site clearance. The airport will be the driving force for socio-economic development of the province, contributing to national security.
Lai Chau is a mountainous province with 265 kilometers bordering China. It has no airways and waterways, with National Highway 32 the only road connecting with the lowland. This road is prone to landslides in the rainy season, causing division in many areas.
Currently, Vietnam's northwestern mountainous region is served by Dien Bien Airport. According to the Ministry of Transport's proposed planning, by 2030, this area will have four domestic airports including Lai Chau (Lai Chau province), Dien Bien Phu (Dien Bien province), Sa Pa (Lao Cai province), and Na San (Son La province).