Vietnam’s new Van Don Airport welcomes first scheduled flights
Vietnam’s latest international airport has opened for business, receiving its first scheduled flights.
Newly opened Van Don Airport is the new gateway to Ha Long Bay and cuts down travel time to the UNESCO rated heritage site from four hours via Hanoi to under an hour.
Budget carrier Vietjet recently began four times a week service from Ho Chi Minh City.
Vietjet plans to increase this to daily flights from February 20.
Vietnam Airlines also serves the airport from HCMC with a daily flight, while new airline startup Bamboo Airways plans to open a HCMC – Van Don route soon.
Van Don is the first privately built airport in Vietnam
Tourism officials from Quang Ninh Province are confident the airport will boost tourism numbers further thanks to the reduced travel time.
The improved links and increased tourism potential was heavily promoted to the travel trade and media at last week’s ASEAN Tourism Forum, held in Ha Long City.
They are banking on the airport to lure travellers to the province’s other lesser known attractions too.
Quang Ninh welcomed 10.7 million visitors in the first 10 months of 2018, which is a healthy increase of 25% year-on-year.
Tourism revenues rose 28% to US$818 million, according to official data.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025