Vietnam’s appeal as a destination to international travellers has brightened considerably in recent months as two of the country’s premier, interior destinations opened their runways to flights from abroad.
The airport upgrades also boast next-generation terminals, correcting long-standing liabilities that hampered Vietnam’s appeal. As if on cue, the region is taking note. On Jan. 28, Vietnam scored a win as the ‘Best Emerging Destination’ in a poll taken by readers of CEI Asia, one of Asia’s leading vehicles for MICE business.
In December, Cam Ranh Airport near the seaside city of Nha Trang and Lien Khuong Airport on the outskirts of the central highlands town of Dalat unveiled architecturally advanced terminals capable of attracting international travel.
“The opening of these new terminals is a major step in the development of Vietnam,” said Scott Hodgetts, general manager of the soon-to-open Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa. “As a hotelier, I can’t help but be alert to access. It’s encouraging the transport authorities are taking it seriously.”
Cam Ranh Airport became the first of Vietnam’s newest terminals to welcome an international flight on December 12 when SilkAir flew 118 passengers in from Singapore on an Airbus A319.
Southern Airports Corporation (SAC), which inaugurated Lien Khuong Airport’s new 12,400-sq-m depot on December 26, hopes to see service to other Southeast Asian nations later this year.
Next on the Civil Aviation Administration’s hit list: Danang Airport, in the central coast city of Danang. Despite aged facilities, it has managed to support infrequent flights from Bangkok, Singapore and Taipei in recent years.
But construction of a new, $74 million terminal is well underway. Its super structure, engineered by US-based Louis Berger Group and Dutch airport consultant NACO, is already in place and officials are predicting a December 2010 finish, says Jon Tomlinson, general director of Montgomerie Links golf club in nearby Quang Nam.
