Not only serving as the aviation gateway to the Northeast region, Van Don International Airport is gradually asserting its role as a driving force behind the growth of tourism and services in Quang Ninh. Expanding air services not only meets the travel needs of local residents, but also creates new "flows" of tourists, investment, and trade, contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of Quang Ninh as a destination on both regional and international tourism maps.
After launching the direct flight route between Ho Chi Minh City and Van Don in June 2026, Sun PhuQuoc Airways increased its operational frequency to one flight per day, meeting the travel demands of tourists. This is not only a positive sign for air transport operations but also opens up a great opportunity for Quang Ninh to more effectively access the southern tourist market—one of the country's largest sources of visitors in terms of both volume and spending.
From Van Don International Airport, visitors can quickly connect to a series of renowned destinations such as Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay, Yen Tu, Co To, and Quan Lan, alongside a booming system of resorts, entertainment complexes, and night-time economy offerings. In addition to shortening geographical distances, the flight routes also help bring Quang Ninh's diverse tourism ecosystem closer to domestic travelers nationwide.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, Director of Van Don International Airport, the unit continues to coordinate with airlines to expand its flight network. Additional routes connecting Van Don with Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa) and Phu Quoc (An Giang) are expected to be launched, alongside developing charter flights to China, South Korea, and Russia. These are all key target markets for Quang Ninh's tourism in its new phase of development strategy.
The expansion of international routes is expected to provide further momentum to recover and develop the international tourist market following a period of disruption. Notably, during a recent working session between the Quang Ninh Department of Industry and Trade and the Department of Commerce of Fujian Province (China), both sides agreed to continue studying the reopening of direct flights between Van Don and Fujian, while also promoting charter flights, cruise ship routes, and linked tourism products. If realized, this will serve as an important connectivity channel, contributing to increasing international arrivals to Quang Ninh as well as promoting economic and trade exchanges between the two localities.
However, for the airport to truly become an engine of growth, what matters is not only the number of flight routes, but also the capacity to build a synchronized aviation ecosystem. Therefore, Van Don International Airport is attracting numerous large-scale investment projects in the aviation industry. Prominent among them is the aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) complex project worth approximately 360 million USD, jointly invested by Sun Group, HAECO, Japan Airlines, and Toyota Tsusho. Planned on an area of over 20 ha, with the capacity to simultaneously accommodate multiple wide-body and narrow-body aircraft in accordance with international standards, the project is scheduled to become operational in 2028. Beyond creating nearly 1,000 high-quality jobs, this complex will also gradually integrate Van Don more deeply into the regional aviation value chain.
This development orientation fully aligns with the new master plan for Van Don International Airport. According to the revised planning by the Ministry of Construction, by 2050, the airport is targeted to achieve a capacity of approximately 20 million passengers and 200,000 tons of cargo per year, quadrupling the previous plan. More importantly, the airport is no longer positioned merely as a tourism gateway, but is developing into a multi-functional aviation hub integrating passenger transport, cargo, logistics, and aviation industries.
The expansion of the master plan establishes the foundation for constructing a second runway, passenger terminals, cargo terminals, modern logistics systems, and aviation technical services. This serves as an essential prerequisite for enhancing operational capacity, attracting more airlines to open new routes, and creating long-term development space for the Van Don special zone.
From an airport built with the mission of opening up the skies of the Northeast, Van Don International Airport is gradually becoming a hub connecting flows of tourism, investment, and trade. Each newly opened air route brings not only more flights, but also growth opportunities for local tourism, services, and the economy. With the advantage of modern infrastructure, a long-term master plan, and a well-structured network expansion strategy, Van Don International Airport is establishing its position as a vital aviation gateway for Quang Ninh, contributing to making the province a top attractive destination in the region and steadily reaching out to the international market.
