Van Don International Airport.

Invested by Sun Group in Quang Ninh Province, Van Don International Airport has been named “Asia’s Leading New Airport 2019” at the World Travel Awards Asia & Oceania (WTA). It is the first airport in Vietnam to ever be honored at the World Travel Awards, which is often referred to as the Oscars of the travel industry.

The prestigious gala ceremony took place on October 12, 2019 in Phu Quoc, Kien Giang, Vietnam and brought together hundreds of representatives from across the tourism and hospitality industry as well as tour operators and travel agencies from countries throughout Asia and Oceania.

“To be named “Asia’s Leading New Airport 2019” by the World Travel Awards Asia & Oceania is huge source of pride for us and acknowledges the far-reaching vision of Sun Group, who set out to boost both tourism and trade in Quang Ninh province by creating a truly world class international airport,” said Pham Ngoc Sau, Director of Van Don International Airport. “This award will serve as motivation for us to continue to go above and beyond to ensure we always provide the highest quality of service and give our customers the best airport experience”.

Pham Ngoc Sau (center) at WTA 2019.

Van Don International Airport – the first privately owned international airport in Vietnam – officially welcomed its first commercial flights in December, 2018. Situated in Doan Ket commune, Van Don district in Quang Ninh, Van Don International Airport was developed to the tune of VND7,463 billion in total investment capital.

Completed after more than two years of construction, the airport was designed in line with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) 4E standards. Equipped with seven aircraft parking stands, four jet bridges, and capable of operating large aircrafts including Boeing 787, 777 models, Van Don International Airport will have a capacity of 2.5 million passengers per year by 2020, which will grow to 5 million passengers per year by 2030. The international standard cargo terminal covers a total of 13,542 square meters with operating capacity of 51,000 tons per year.

The criteria for WTA always considers the experience of passengers and Van Don International Airport impressed on all counts. The airport’s investor, Sun Group, developed Van Don International Airport with state of the art and modern equipments and technologies, all imported from the world's leading brands, to ensure passengers have a world-class experience. The system of LED airfield ground lighting, originating from Belgium, meets CAT II and ICAO standards, which ensures the power supply after one second of power failure. Aircraft can take off or land at both ends of the runway. Meanwhile, the Ilane automatic tray-return system of Smiths (Germany) integrates multi-dimensional scanners, which meets Euro III liquid explosive detection standards. This is in fact the most advanced system in Asia and has been installed in Vietnam for the first time at Van Don International Airport.

The aesthetic design of Van Don International Airport Terminal was inspired by the wonderful natural beauty of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Ha Long Bay. Shaped like a sailing boat under a red orange domed roof, the airport takes its design cues from local cultures and architectural traditions. Inside the terminal, the interior also celebrates the natural beauty of Ha Long Bay with a striking visual décor and provides travellers with ample green spaces.

Besides being a ‘new gateway to Halong Bay’ and other tourism attractions, Van Don International Airport is expected to open up new trade opportunities that will boost Quang Ninh’s economy. After eight months of operations, Van Don International Airport has welcomed more than 150,000 passengers with 1,300 flights.

The airport is already welcoming direct international routes from Shenzen, China (Donghai Airlines), Incheon, South Korea (Vietnam Airlines), and Hunan, China (Qingdao Airlines). For the Chinese market, there will be more routes to Hainan, Nanning and Guangzhou commencing operations soon. The airport also expects to be receiving flights from Japan and Thailand by the end of 2019. Meanwhile, the domestic market is scheduled for expansion with flights from Da Nang and Phu Quoc to be added by the year-end.

Thanks to Van Don International Airport, more and more domestic and international  tourists are now discovering that when going to Quang Ninh “one journey leads to thousands of destinations”. From the airport, there are free shuttle buses for guests to go to Ha Long city, and easily access other popular destinations in Quang Ninh such as Yen Tu mountain pagoda, Tuan Chau island, Quan Lan island, Tra Co (Mong Cai) thanks to the major modern highways and improved transportation links.

Winning the award “Asia’s Leading New Airport 2019” from World Travel Awards Asia & Oceania, Van Don International Airport has put the newly developed airport on the world map of aviation. The airport will also help Quang Ninh develop as a major centre for international tourism and trade.

Sun Group also won many other prestigious prizes from World Travel Awards Asia & Oceania and World Luxury Hotel Awards 2019 on the same day. There were prizes for numerous hotels and resorts as well as Sun World Ba Na Hills and Sun World Fansipan Legend. This hail of awards signals the group’s success at developing world class tourism and recreational products and services that have elevated Vietnam’s development to new heights and raised the country’s profile as a major destination for luxury travel all around the world.