Ly Son poised to become coastal tourist city with 150-hectare airport

By Pham Linh March 3, 2023 | 01:08 am PT

Ly Son Island off Vietnam's central coast is seen from above. Photo by Alex Cao

The government has set a target of turning Ly Son, an island district off the central Quang Ngai Province, into a coastal city with an improved infrastructure to boost tourism growth.

Under an adjusted master plan on the development of the Dung Quat Economic Zone by 2045, approved by the government, a 153-hectare airport will be built on Ly Son Island, which is now only accessible by boat.

Earlier, provincial authorities proposed the government build an airport on the island to speed up tourism development as Ly Son has been a popular tourist hotspot in recent years thanks to its crystal blue waters.

Ly Son, formed by five mountains, four of which are dormant volcanoes, is a combination of three islands: Dao Lon (Big Islet), Dao Be (Small Islet) and the Mu Cu Islet.

The 10-square-kilometer island welcomed 265,000 tourists in 2019, a 30% increase year-on-year, earning VND276 billion ($11.7 million) in tourism revenue.