Northern Vietnam province plans 720-ha int’l airport to tap tourism boom

Ninh Binh province, home to the UNESCO-recognized Trang An Landscape Complex, looks to develop a 720-hectare international airport with an annual capacity of 10 million passenger arrivals in order to capitalize on booming tourism.

According to a proposal submitted by local authorities to the Ministry of Construction, the airport will be located in Liem Tuyen ward, approximately 80 km from Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport and about 85 km from both Hai Phong’s Cat Bi International Airport and Thanh Hoa’s Tho Xuan Airport.

The site will also benefit from close access to the future North-South high-speed railway, the Ninh Binh government noted.

The proposed airport will be classified as 4E under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, capable of handling wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 787, 777, and Airbus A350.

Local authorities view the airport as a critical infrastructure project to spur economic and tourism development in Vietnam’s northern delta region, while easing pressure on existing airports in the north.

Ninh Binh province proposed the Ministry of Construction ask for the Prime Minister’s approval to add the airport to the national airport development plan in 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.

Previously, in early July, the construction ministry had asked Ninh Binh authorities to prepare a feasibility study on the potential development of an international airport in the province. It made the request in a report submitted to the Government regarding a proposal from private construction company Xuan Truong.

Nam Dinh, Ha Nam, and Ninh Binh were recently merged into a new, larger Ninh Binh province, which borders Hung Yen, Phu Tho, Thanh Hoa, Hanoi, and the East Sea.

Ninh Binh is home to the UNESCO-recognized Trang An Landscape Complex, the first mixed cultural and natural heritage site in Vietnam to gain such recognition.

In the first half of 2025, Ninh Binh welcomed over 7.2 million tourist arrivals, fulfilling nearly 80% of its full-year target, according to the provincial tourism department. Foreign exceeded one million, while overnight travelers rosed 21% year-on-year to 1.4 million.