More than just the aviation gateway to the Northeast, Van Don International Airport is gradually affirming its role as a driving force for the growth of tourism and services in Quang Ninh. Expanding flight services not only meets residents’ travel needs but also creates new “flows” of tourists, investment and trade, helping enhance the competitiveness of Quang Ninh as a destination on the regional and international tourism map.
After launching the direct Ho Chi Minh City–Van Don route in June 2026, Sun PhuQuoc Airways increased its operating frequency to one flight per day, meeting tourists’ travel needs. This is not only a positive signal for air transport operations but also opens up major opportunities for Quang Ninh to more effectively reach the southern market—one of the country’s largest tourism source markets in terms of both visitor numbers and spending.
From Van Don International Airport, tourists can quickly connect to a host of famous destinations, including Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay, Yen Tu, Co To and Quan Lan, along with the system of resorts, entertainment complexes and rapidly developing nighttime economy offerings. The flights not only shorten geographical distances but also bring Quang Ninh’s diverse tourism ecosystem closer to visitors from across the country.
According to Nguyen Van Tuan, Director of Van Don International Airport, the airport will continue coordinating with airlines to expand its flight network. Additional routes connecting Van Don with Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa) and Phu Quoc (An Giang) are expected, while charter flights to China, South Korea and Russia will also be developed. These are all key source markets for Quang Ninh tourism under its development strategy for the new period.
The expansion of international routes is expected to create further momentum for the recovery and development of the foreign visitor market after a period of disruption. In particular, during a recent meeting between the Quang Ninh Department of Industry and Trade and the Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce (China), the two sides agreed to continue studying the reopening of a direct route between Van Don and Fujian, while promoting charter flights, sea routes and linked tourism products. If realized, this would be an important channel of connectivity, helping increase the number of international visitors to Quang Ninh while promoting economic and trade exchanges between the two localities.
However, for the airport to truly become a driving force for development, what matters is not only the number of flight routes but also the ability to establish a synchronized aviation ecosystem. Accordingly, Van Don International Airport is attracting a number of large-scale investment projects in the aviation industry. A notable example is the aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) complex, valued at approximately USD 360 million, to be jointly invested in by Sun Group, HAECO, Japan Airlines and Toyota Tsusho. Planned on an area of more than 20 ha, the project will be capable of handling multiple wide-body and narrow-body aircraft simultaneously in accordance with international standards and is expected to begin operations in 2028. In addition to creating nearly 1,000 high-quality jobs, the complex will gradually enable Van Don to participate more deeply in the regional aviation industry value chain.
This development orientation is fully aligned with the new master plan for Van Don International Airport. According to the adjusted plan of the Ministry of Construction, by 2050 the airport is expected to reach an annual capacity of approximately 20 million passengers and 200,000 tonnes of cargo—four times higher than under the previous plan. More importantly, the airport is no longer positioned merely as a gateway serving tourism but will be developed as a multifunctional aviation hub integrating passenger transport, cargo, logistics and the aviation industry.
The expanded master plan provides a foundation for building a second runway, passenger terminals, cargo terminals, a modern logistics system and aviation technical services... This is an important prerequisite for increasing operational capacity, attracting more airlines to launch new routes and creating long-term room for development in Van Don special administrative zone.
From an airport built with the mission of opening up the skies of the Northeast, Van Don International Airport is gradually becoming a connectivity point for the flows of tourism, investment and trade. Each new route opened brings not only additional flights but also development opportunities for the local tourism, services and economy. With its modern infrastructure, long-term master plan and methodical strategy for expanding its flight network, Van Don International Airport is establishing itself as an important aviation gateway to Quang Ninh, contributing to the province’s emergence as one of the region’s leading attractive destinations and its gradual expansion into international markets.
