The Vietnamese Government has approved a master plan, drawn up by The Ministry of Transport, seeks to have 10 international airports across the nation by expanding existing airports and building new ones.

Under the plan, the capital’s Noi Bai International Airport will be upgraded into a major airport capable of handling larger aircraft and more passengers in coming years.

By 2020, it will have at least two runways that can be used by giant airplanes like the Boeing 747 and currently the largest passenger plane, Airbus A380. By that time, it will be able to receive 20-25 million passengers annually and handle more than 260,000 tonnes of cargo. The hangar area will be expanded to accommodate up to 88 aircraft.

Noi Bai currently handles seven million passengers a year. Cat Bi International Airport in the northern city of Hai Phong will be upgraded to receive two million passengers and 17,000 tonnes of cargo a year by 2015. In the central region, besides Da Nang and Phu Bai international airports, the Government has also approved expansion of Cam Ranh and Chu Lai.

Cam Ranh airport in Khanh Hoa Province will get a new terminal, air traffic control station, and modern runway lights. When upgraded by 2015, the airport will handle up to 16 aircrafts an hour and 1.5 million passengers a year. Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City will be upgraded and enlarged to receive around 70 planes an hour by 2015. It will be able to handle 23.5 million passengers and 600,000 tonnes of cargo a year.

Phu Quoc International Airport is under construction and is expected to open in 2012, when it will be able to handle up to 7 million passengers and 27,600 tonnes of cargo a year.

The country’s largest airport, Long Thanh International Airport, will be built in Dong Nai Province, 50km northeast of HCM City. Covering of 50sq.km, it will have four runways and five terminals, and will be able to handle 100 million passengers and 5 million tonnes of cargo a year. The last of the 10 airports, Can Tho International Airport is building a terminal designed to serve three million passengers annually. It is expected to become operational next year.