Thanh Hoa province proposes new terminal at Tho Xuan airport

Thanh Hoa People’s Committee is proposing the Ministry of Transport attracts investment toward the second passenger terminal at the central province's Tho Xuan Airport.

Per the proposal, the province asked the ministry to consider attracting capable businesses and investors or arrange other capital sources from the state budget for the construction of the terminal and infrastructure in the 2022-2025 period.

Earlier, the locality received a notice from the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), which is managing and operating the Tho Xuan airport, saying the investment project worth some VND2.12 trillion ($90.83 million) is not included in its medium-term public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period, but has been earmarked for investment after 2025. According to the project, the T2 terminal is designed to be capable of serving five million passengers a year.

The transport ministry in June 2020 approved a plan for the airport for the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050. It stipulated that the 10-year period will see the expansion and upgrade of the existing passenger terminal T1, and the construction of T2 and a cargo terminal, with a handling capacity of 27,000 tons per year.

Currently, T1 is overloaded as it struggles to handle domestic routes. The terminal is not designed to handle international routes as there is no isolation area for international arrivals, entry, exit, or customs management areas.

Investment in building T2 and other infrastructure as approved for the 2021-2025 period is timely to help the Tho Xuan airport develop, said the provincial People’s Committee.

Tho Xuan Airport was put into operation in February 2013. Its average number of passengers in the 2013-2015 period soared by 160% annually.

The T1 was opened in January 2016, capable of handling 1.2 million passengers a year. In the 2016 - 2020 period, the airport’s passenger throughput grew by 17% on an annual average. In the first five months of 2022, the terminal received 671,000 arrivals, projected to hit 1.4 million by the year’s end.

Thanh Hoa is seen as a hidden gem in central Vietnam, with huge potential for developing tourism on the back of its diverse and rich tourism resources.

Known as a "miniature Vietnam", Thanh Hoa is host to all of the country’s terrains, from mountain, midland, to plain and coast, with many beautiful landscapes and valuable historical-cultural vestiges. The province also has a system of infrastructure and technical facilities for tourism that is constantly expanding, and gradually improving in quality.

The province is home to a variety of beautiful beaches, namely the popular Sam Son brown sand beach in the city of the same name. There is also Hai Tien Beach in Hoang Hoa district, Tien Trang Quang Xuong Beach in Quang Xuong district, and Hai Hoa, Hai Thanh, and Bai Dong beaches in Tinh Gia district.

In recent years, Thanh Hoa has become one of the top cities and provinces in terms of tourism growth nationwide. During the 2016-2019 period, the number of tourist arrivals in the province grew by 15.2% annually. Tourism revenue rose by 31.7% year-on-year, contributing greatly to local socio-economic development.

With cases declining and Covid-19 under relative control for now, Thanh Hoa tourism is bustling again with the reopening of all tourist destinations. The province has an image as a safe, friendly and attractive destination, highlights prompting visitors to travel to the locality.