Southern province to build new airport on Go Gang Island

By Hoang Phong April 14, 2020 | 03:40 am PT

An aerial view of Go Gang Island in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province where a new airport is scheduled to be built. Photo courtesy of Ba Ria-Vung Tau's Tourism Department.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau plans to build a new airport on Go Gang Island, relocating the current one in downtown Vung Tau, to boost local tourism.

The new airport is being built because the current one is unable to meet the increasing travel demands and promote local tourism, provincial authorities said.

The current Vung Tau Airport, covering 172 hectares, is mainly used for helicopters serving logistics and oil and gas services.

The total investment for the new 248.5 ha airport, estimated at $1 billion, will be sourced from selling old airport land or raised under the public-private partnership model. Timeline for the construction is unknown.

The new airport will have a designed capacity of 100,000 passengers and 500 tons of goods a year.

Go Gang is a small island in Long Son Commune, about three kilometers off the beach town of Vung Tau in southern Vietnam and about 90 km from HCMC. The island is also a tourist destination with abundant seafood resources and beautiful beaches.

Apart from Vung Tau, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province is home to the 16-island Con Dao Archipelago, a tourist attraction famous worldwide.

The archipelago has the Con Dao Airport that was first built by the French in the 20th century and upgraded in 2003 for commercial use.

Vietnam Air Services Company, a subsidiary of Vietnam Airlines, is the only airline that flies to Con Dao. It operates daily flights from Ho Chi Minh City.

The country currently has 22 civilian airports, including 10 international ones. The Tan Son Nhat in HCMC and Noi Bai in Hanoi are the country’s two biggest airports.