Amid approvals for massive new airports and expansions/upgrades to existing ones, it seems like the airport money tap is wide open in Vietnam. Seeking to jump on the bandwagon and boost tourism access and logistics south of Saigon, the government is mulling the construction of a new domestic airport near Vung Tau.
The airport would be located about three kilometers off the coast of the tourist haven/oil rig parking lot on Go Gang Island.
Part of the national plan for transport infrastructure development by 2020, the airport is expected to accommodate 100,000 passengers and 500 tons of good annually once operational.
Since there isn’t much call for international air travel to the city, the airport will be home to small planes and helicopters serving tourists (because Vung Tau ain’t that bad after all. Or maybe it is) and oil industry workers (the current "airport" at Vung Tau consists of a landing strip used by oil companies).
The move comes in the wake of huge outlays of cash for other aviation infrastructure projects including Saigon’s new US$15.28 billion Long Thanh Airport (seen in the rendering above); a new, seagull-shaped terminal at Da Nang International Airport; and the expansion of Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport.
Come to think of it, our office could use a helipad…
