Vietnam’s population has been increasing fast, with roughly 1 million people added each year. In 2023, the country is forecasted to achieve the 100-million milestone.
Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are the two most populous metropolitans, which are home to 9 million and 5 million people, respectively. Remarkably, the population of Hanoi is forecasted to quadruple, reaching between 21 and 23 million by 2050, while Ho Chi Minh City will have around 25 million.
The existing Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport was designed to handle 25 million passengers per year. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of passengers and cargo is expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2023. Therefore, Noi Bai International Airport will be congested again by the end of 2023, intensifying the urgency of constructing a second air hub for the capital region.
As the population is booming, Vietnamese authorities are rushing to seek central approval for Hanoi’s second airport, along with Ho Chi Minh City’s Long Thanh International Airport being under construction. Southern Hanoi, Ha Nam Province, Hai Duong Province, and Hai Phong City are among the possible locations for the new airport. This project is included in Vietnam’s overall airport system development plan for the period 2021-2030, looking ahead to 2050.
Currently, Vietnam has 28 airports, half of which are also serving international flights. The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) forecasts that 34 million Vietnamese passengers will travel abroad in 2023, a volume that has tripled since 2022.
(Source: Simple Flying)
