The CAAV has reported that a proposal it submitted to the Ministry of Transport for approval included working with nine provinces that had asked for new airports.

An aircraft prepares to land at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport.

The list of proposed projects includes building a new airport at the Van Phong Economic Zone in the coastal central province of Khanh Hoa, as well as airports in the northern mountainous provinces of Ha Giang and Yen Bai. Projects would also be slated for Ly Son Island off central Quang Ngai Province, as well as the Central Highland provinces of Dak Nong and Kon Tum.

Other proposed airport destinations are the northern province of Tuyen Quang, the southern border province of Tay Ninh and the central province of Ha Tinh.

The CAAV said if approved, local authorities in those provinces will build plans calling for private investment into the construction of the airports.

According to Hanoi-based Transport Engineering Design Incorporated (TEDI), a consultant on the Transport Ministry’s national airport plan, the proposal is "reasonable." TEDI lauded Ha Giang Province as a prime location as it borders China, six hours northwest of Hanoi.

TEDI said it would take decades to build an expressway connecting the province with Hanoi. Due to Ha Giang’s remote mountainous location, such a road would be too expensive, TEDI argued, and so an airport would be a better option to help boost development in Ha Giang and nearby provinces.

Vietnam has 22 civilian airports, and late last year the ministry released plans to build six more by 2030 and then another three by 2050. The plan includes 14 international airports.

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Source: VnExpress