Vietnam to Open Civilian Airport at Cam Ranh Bay By Summer

January 7, 2004

Vietnam to Open Civilian Airport at Cam Ranh Bay By Summer
China Post, Taiwan


Vietnam plans to open a civilian airport at a former U.S. military base in Cam 
Ranh Bay this summer amid plans to transform the area into a vacation getaway, 
an official said Wednesday. 

The airport will initially serve only domestic passengers, but will be upgraded 
to receive international flights when there is demand, said Pham Van Chi, 
chairman of the People's Committee of Khanh Hoa province, 450 kilometers (280 
miles) north of Ho Chi Minh City. 


"The two 3,050-meter (1.9-mile) runways are still in good condition, we just 
need to upgrade the existing terminal," he said. "Hopefully, the airport will 
be put into operation in the second quarter of this year." 


The decision was reached Sunday during a meeting with government officials in 
Hanoi. Local media have also reported the government plans to open flights by 
the end of this month to Con Son Airport on Con Dao Island, off the southern 
coast, and to Ca Mau Airport, in Vietnam's southernmost province. Flights to 
Can Tho in the Mekong Delta are also expected to begin by the end of the year. 


A 37-kilometer (23-mile) highway connecting the popular coastal resort town of 
Nha Trang to Cam Ranh will be completed by the end of March, Chi said. Once the 
Cam Ranh airport is operational, the existing airport in Nha Trang _ which can 
only accommodate small planes _ will be closed, Chi said 


Fifty-five local investors have already leased land covering about one-third of 
the Cam Ranh peninsula to develop international-standard resorts, hotels and 
recreation parks, he said, adding construction is expected to start in the next 
few months. 


The peninsula's southern end is still managed by the military, keeping foreign 
investors out because of security issues, Chi said. 


In 1979, the former air and naval base built by the United States during the 
Vietnam War was taken over by the former Soviet Union under a rent-free 
agreement that expired this year. 


The Russian government returned the base to Hanoi last May after Vietnam 
indicated it wanted rent to extend the lease. The government has repeatedly 
said it will not allow the deep-water port to be used by another country for 
military purposes again. 

 
   


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