Government eyes commercial use of three military airports

In a directive released by the Government Office Saturday, the Deputy PM said Thanh Son Airport in Ninh Thuan Province, Bien Hoa Airport in Dong Nai Province and Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi “should be considered” for both military and civilian purposes.

He urged the Ministry of Transport to work with the Ministry of National Defense and local officials to study the possibility of using these airports for commercial purposes and adding them into the 2021-2030 national aviation development plan.

Thanh Son and Bien Hoa, built before 1975, are used by the military, while Dong Nai and Ninh Thuan provinces do not have a civilian airport.

The first phase of the Long Thanh International Airport under construction in Dong Nai is set to be completed in 2025.

Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi was built by the French in 1935 and inaugurated a year later. Initially, it served both civil and military purposes. In October 1954, Vietnam took over the airport. Today, it is a military facility.

Vietnam has 22 civilian airports, and late last year the ministry released plans for increasing the number to 28 by 2030 and 31 by 2050, including 14 international airports.

Several provinces have recently sought approval to build airports to boost economic growth, including the northern provinces of Son La, Tuyen Quang and Ninh Binh, the central province of Ha Tinh and the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.