Air transportation is the most convenient way to travel to Vietnam as well as to travel around the country. For a smooth arrival, you need to decide which airport to fly to in Vietnam.
This article will give you a general guide to Vietnam’s main airports for international and domestic flights.
In total, there are 23 airports in Vietnam, consisting of civil airports, military airports, private airports and former airports. Among these, civil airports, including international and domestic, are used to meet tourism needs.
When it comes to international flights, the busiest international airports in Vietnam are Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN – Sai Gon), Noi Bai International Airport (HAN – Hanoi) and Da Nang International Airport (DAD – Da Nang). In addition, some tourist hubs like Phu Quoc and Nha Trang also receive direct flights from abroad.
When it comes to domestic flights, there are a multitude of Vietnamese airports serving frequent air connections between remote destinations within the country. For those planning a visit to Vietnam by air, keep scrolling to get into the details of the main Vietnamese airports and choose the best destination for your arrival.
International airports in Vietnam
So far, Vietnam has 11 international airports located in 11 major cities from North to South. However, not all of those mentioned are served by current international flights. More specifically, you can arrive at 8 international airports: Noi Bai (Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang, Can Tho, Phu Bai (Hue), Phu Quoc, Cat Bi and Cam Ranh (Nha Tran ). For those who submit a Vietnamese visa on arrival, it is possible to arrive at only 3 airports: Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat and Da Nang.
Let’s take a look at these 11 international airports in Vietnam located in 11 famous tourist destinations that you can choose to fly to.
| Vietnam International Airport | Area | Distance from city center |
| Noi Bai International Airport | Hanoi | 27 kilometers |
| Tan Son Nhat International Airport | Ho Chi Minh City | 7 km |
| Da Nang International Airport | Da Nang | 2km |
| Cat Bi International Airport | Hai Phong | 8 kilometers |
| Van Don International Airport | Halong Bay | 50 kilometers |
| Phu Bai International Airport | Boo | 15 kilometers |
| Cam Ranh International Airport | Nha Trang | 30 kilometers |
| Lien Khuong International Airport | Dalat | 30 kilometers |
| Phu Quoc International Airport | Phu Quoc | 10 kilometers |
| Can Tho International Airport | Can Tho | 8 kilometers |
| Vinh International Airport | Vinh | 7 km |
1. Noi Bai International Airport
Covering an area of 650 hectares, Hanoi International Airport is the second largest airport in Vietnam, with 2 terminals: T1 for domestic routes and T2 for international routes. From 6:00 a.m. to midnight, a free shuttle runs every 10 to 15 minutes between the two terminals.
If you want to travel from Noi Bai Airport to the old quarter of Hanoi, I recommend Hanoi Private Car.
Terminal
- Terminal 1: After the upgrade in March 2018, Terminal 1 with three concourses (A, B and E) is now capable of handling 15 million passengers per year. The domestic terminal offers a wide range of services: catering, shopping, café, currency exchange, ATMs and transportation.
- Terminal 2: Created in 2015, Terminal 2 is made up of 4 levels:
- Level 1: arriving passenger flow, baggage claim, customs, duty-free shops, first aid and information counter
- Level 2: flow of arriving and transiting passengers, and immigration counter
- Level 3: departing passenger flow, security and customs, check-in, departure lounge, tax refund
- Level 4: VIP lounges and airline offices
Popular routes
Being Hanoi’s only airport, the busiest international flights include Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the busiest domestic routes are Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Da Lat and other tourist destinations in Vietnam.
2. Tan Son Nhat International Airport
Known as Vietnam’s largest airport (800 ha), Tan Son Nhat welcomes nearly 40 million passengers per year, with a large number of return flights. Ho Chi Minh Airport operates 2 terminals: T1 domestic and T2 international, connected by a 500 m covered walkway. The airport is always busy with 80 check-in counters and 20 immigration counters.
Terminal 1: The domestic terminal consists of 2 floors: the ground floor for the domestic arrival hall and baggage claim; the queue for security control and the departure hall.
Terminal 2: The international terminal is a modern four-story building with duty-free shops, airline lounges, a cafe, restaurants and entertainment areas. Floors 1 to 3 are for the arrival hall, baggage claim, transfer counter, immigration area, landing visa counter, check-in and departure hall.
Popular routes:Ho Chi Minh Airport is always busy with many international and domestic flights to/from popular destinations in Vietnam and around the world. The busiest international routes connect Ho Chi Minh City with Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Tokyo and Siem Reap. At the same time, the Saigon – Hanoi domestic connection is the busiest in Southeast Asia and the 6th e in the world, with a frequency of 596 flights per week.
3. Da Nang International Airport
Built as a transportation hub in central Vietnam, Da Nang Airport is the third largest after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh Airport. Traffic volume varies from 100 to 150 flights per day on average. There are two terminals for domestic and international flights, which can be easily round-tripped in 10 minutes through a beautiful green connecting corridor.
Terminal 1: The domestic terminal has 3 floors and 1 basement with over 40 check-in counters and kiosks for each airline. You can find lounges, shops and ATMs in the arrival hall.
Terminal 2: The T2 international has 2 floors distributed between the arrival hall on 1 er floor and the departure station on 2 th floor. There are 24 check-in counters and 22 immigration counters which are less busy than those in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh Airport.
Popular routes: With over 20 domestic and international airlines operating through Da Nang Airport, the busiest flights are to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Nha Trang, Seoul, Busan, Bangkok, Daegu, Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore.
4. Cat Bi International Airport
Located in Hai Phong province, Cat Bi Airport is 125 km from Hanoi and 60 km from Halong Bay. This airport is able to serve 5 million passengers per year with a capacity of 1,000 passengers/peak hour. Until now, there are very few airlines operating around 20 flights to/from Cat Bi.
Terminal: The domestic area is accessible through 4 boarding gates 1 to 4 to the east of the airport. There are 16 check-in counters, from 1 to 16, for domestic flights. In the West, the international zone has 13 check-in counters, from 17 to 29. You can access it through boarding gates 5 and 6.
Popular routes: Cat Bi now welcomes domestic flights to/from Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Da Nang, Buon Ma Thuot and Da Lat. Meanwhile, the international terminal is open to operate a number of international routes to Macau, Bangkok, Singapore and Seoul.
5. Van Don International Airport
Opened in December 2018, Van Don Airport is a transportation hub and the closest airport to Halong Bay. It is Vietnam’s first private international airport. Van Don quickly became the “World’s Leading New Airport” by the World Travel Awards (WTA) in 2019.
Terminal: Van Don Airport has a passenger terminal with a capacity of 2.5 million passengers and an area of almost 27,000 m 2 . The airfield has 4 jet bridges, 4 baggage carousels, 8 security gates and 31 check-in counters.
Popular routes: Currently, there are frequent domestic flights from Ho Chi Minh and Da Nang to Van Don. As for international connections, you can expect a direct flight from Shenzhen/Shanghai/Seoul to Van Don. In the future, more flights are planned from Hainan, Nanning, Guangzhou and some cities in Japan and Thailand to Van Don Airport.
6. Phu Bai International Airport (Boo)
Phu Bai Airport officially came into operation in October 2005 with a capacity of 1.5 million passengers per year. It is a small airport located in central Vietnam, 2.5 hours from Da Nang and 3 hours from Hoi An.
Terminal:The terminal has 2 floors: 1 er for arrival, check-in and catering; the 2 th for departure.
Popular routes:Although it is an international airport, Phu Bai has not yet operated any international flights. Hue Airport’s 3 busiest domestic routes include Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi and Da Lat, operated by Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, VietJet Air and Bamboo Airways.
7. Cam Ranh International Airport
Located 30 km from the city center, Cam Ranh is a main airport in Vietnam serving the Nha Trang region. Every year, Cam Ranh Airport welcomes nearly 5 million passengers to the beautiful coastal city. The unique part of this airport is its eye-catching design and architecture for outdoor areas and pedestrian walking.
Terminal: Inspired by the shape of a swallow’s nest and the waves of Nha Trang beach, the Cam Ranh Airport terminal is composed of levels dedicated to international and local tourists. The T2 international terminal has 4 aerobridges and 10 boarding gates to serve more than 20 international airlines per year.
Popular routes There are around 40 daily flights to Cam Ranh Airport with popular domestic flights from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Vinh and international flights from Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Hongkong.
8. Lien Khuong International Airport
Located on the outskirts of Lam Dong province, Lien Khuong is about 30 km south of Da Lat city center. It is the largest of the 4 airfields in the central highlands.
Terminal: Shaped like wild sunflowers, Da Lat Airport has 2 floors with a total floor space of 12,400 m 2 . In December 2019, major reconstruction was completed to handle larger aircraft and a capacity of 2 million passengers.
Popular routes: The most frequent flight routes from Da Lat Airport are to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Vinh, Hai Phong, Bangkok, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Lanzhou. Beyond that, the airport has been upgraded to international standard, allowing Da Lat to connect with more international flights to Singapore, Laos, Cambodia and other cities in South Korea .
9. Phu Quoc International Airport
Completed in 2012, the new Phu Quoc International Airport has quickly become one of Vietnam’s main airports. The airport covers a large area in the “pearl island” of southern Vietnam. It was built at a cost of VND16.2 trillion invested according to the standards of the World Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Terminal: Phu Quoc Airport offers a high-end terminal with two functional areas located on either side: domestic to the west and international to the east. There are separate lanes connecting public area and corridor traffic to the flight lounges, creating a highly private one-way passenger flow. The terminal has 36 check-in counters, 10 security scanners and 3 baggage conveyors in total.
Popular routes:Flights to/from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City operate daily, while other domestic routes between Phu Quoc and Da Nang, Hai Phong, Vinh are scheduled around 20-21 flights per month. For international connections, Phu Quoc Airport offers non-stop flights to 9 destinations in 3 countries, the most popular being Seoul, Guangzhou and Kuala Lumpur.
10. Can Tho International Airport
Can Tho Airport, formerly known as Tra Noc Airport, is a medium-sized civil airfield in the Mekong Delta region. During the Vietnam War, the airport was originally built as an air base by the US Air Force.
Terminal: The terminal has two zones: the right side of the main entrance for domestic connections and the left side for international connections. Since the last renovation, Can Tho Airport is well equipped with advanced aviation technology.
Popular routes:So far, there are only domestic flights to Can Tho from Hanoi, Da Nang, Con Dao, Hai Phong, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Vinh, etc.
11. Vinh International Airport
In north-central Vietnam, Vinh International Airport is a busy transportation hub that is 7 km from Vinh City, Nghe An Province. In addition to using the A civilian airport, Vinh Airport was one of two main military air bases in addition to Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi.
Terminal: The terminal has 28 check-in counters and 4 boarding gates designed to accommodate a capacity of 3 million passengers per year. You can find the arrival at 1 er floor while the 2 th floor is for departure.
Popular routes:At the moment, you can only find domestic flights to Vinh International Airport from Ho Chi Minh City, Buon Me Thuot, Hanoi, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc and Can Tho. In the long term, it is expected to operate international flights to/from Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and Seoul.
Vietnam domestic airport
In addition to these mentions, Vietnam has a variety of domestic airports that facilitate remote travel across the country.
| Vietnam domestic airport | Area | Flight route |
| Dien Bien Phu Airport | Dien Bien Phu | Hanoi |
| Chu Lai Airport | Chu Lai | Hanoi, Saigon |
| Tho Xuan Airport | Thanh Hoa | Saigon, Can Tho, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Buon Ma Thuot |
| Dong Hoi Airport | Dong Hoi | Hanoi, Saigon |
| Phu Cat Airport | Quy Nhon | Hanoi, Saigon, Cat Bi, Vinh |
| Rach Gia Airport | Rachel Gia | Hanoi, Saigon |
| Dong Tac Airport | Tuy Hoa | Hanoi, Saigon |
| Vung Tau Airport | Vung Tau | |
| Co Ong Airport | Con Dao | Saigon, Hanoi, Can Tho, Da Nang, Cat Bi, Thanh Hoa |
| Buon Ma Thuot Airport | Buôn Ma Thuot | Saigon, Hanoi, Vinh, Da Nang, Cat Bi, Thanh Hoa |
| Pleiku Airport | Pleiku | Saigon, Hanoi, Cat Bi, Da Nang |
| Ca Mau Airport | Ca Mau | Saigon |
