Vietnam opened a new airport, Dec. 30, on the island of Van Don,
close to Halong Bay. Previously, travelers had to reach the magnificent
UNESCO World Heritage Site via the capital, Hanoi, a four-hour drive
away.
While the Vietnamese authorities have extended visa exemption for
nationals of certain countries for stays of up to 15 days until 2021,
the country has also opened a new airport, billed as Vietnam’s most
modern, located close to the popular tourist destination of Halong Bay.
Business looks good for the junk boat cruises at this magnificent
UNESCO World Heritage Site, as Van Don International Airport, which cost
around $350 million and is managed by a private company, will allow
visitors to travel directly to Halong Bay, without traveling via Hanoi.
Visitors will be able to reach the port in one hour’s drive, thanks
to a new highway, compared to previous travel times of three to four
hours, depending on the route. Note that domestic flights to and from
Hanoi are operated by Vietnam Airlines and VietjetAir.
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Vietnam was aiming for 17 million foreign tourists in 2018. In the
end, it welcomed some 15.5 million visitors, up 19.9 percent on the
previous year. For 2019, the country’s goal is 18 million international
arrivals. The Halong site is just one of the destinations set to help
draw visitors, as the country also aims to develop tourism in the wider
Quang Ninh province, which has 250km of coastline. Perhaps the beaches
of Minh Chau and Ngoc Vung will one day become as popular as those of
Phuket or Koh Phi Phi in Thailand. These new facilities, which took
barely three years to create, were also envisaged to boost tourism and
trade with Taiwan, South Korea, Cambodia and Singapore.
Van Don International Airport expects to see two million annual passengers by 2020 and some five million by 2030.
As well as the airport, Vietnam opened its first international cruise
port, specially designed for cruise ships, located in Halong. This new
infrastructure, designed by architect Bill Bensley, can accommodate up
to 8,460 passengers at once.
Source - TheJakartaPost
