The business class lounge at Van Don International Airport

Specifically, Van Don International Airport surpassed four strong competitors in the region to win the “Asia's Leading Regional Airport 2020” award category. These included Bangalore International Airport (India), Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (Shaanxi, China), and Chubu Centrair and Fukuoka International Airports (Japan).

The strongest competitors among these is Chubu Centrair International Airport (Japan). As a large airport and the main gateway to the central region of Japan, this airport was awarded the world’s first 5-Star Regional Airport by SKYTRAX - the international air transport rating organisation since 2017.

In addition to the Asia's Leading Regional Airport 2020 award, the business lounge system - VIP and CIP Lounge at Van Don International Airport was also named by WTA as “Asia's Leading Airport Lounge 2020”.

WTA has ranked and presented this award for 11 consecutive years for the business lounge system. In 2020, VIP and CIP Lounge at Van Don International Airport participated in this award category for the first time and surpassed five candidates at five major airports in Asia to win the award. These included Changi Lounge at Jewel Changi Airport, GVK Lounge International by TFS Performa at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (Mumbai, India), No. 77 China Eastern Plaza Premium Lounge at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (Hong Kong) and The Centurion® Lounge - Hong Kong International. Previously, GVK Lounge International by TFS Performa at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (Mumbai, India) was ranked first for five consecutive years from 2015 to 2019.

Van Don International Airport was affirmed by WTA to excellently satisfy the rigorous evaluation criteria of the overall airport design including green ecosystem, service quality and customer satisfaction to win these two major awards.

Inspired by the beauty of Ha Long Bay, the Singaporean architects subtly integrated the cultural symbolic images of the heritage in a harmonious architecture, positioning Van Don Airport as a green, clean and modern eco-airport and turning the waiting process at the airport into a journey of experience and discovery. The airport was equipped by the investor - Sun Group - with a system of modern technical equipment, imported from the world's leading brands to optimise facilities for passengers and minimise waiting time in all stages of procedures.

Friendly green areas at Van Don International Airport

VIP and CIP business lounge at Van Don International Airport covers an area of nearly 1,400 square metres, including reception hall, buffet and cocktail service area, central area, smoking room, private toilet and shower. VIP and CIP Lounge is designed in a luxurious and modern style with all equipment and interior materials imported from famous international brands, meeting the rigorous standards of the world's famous 5-star airlines such as Cathay Pacific and Emirates, etc. During peak hours, VIP and CIP Lounge at Van Don International Airport can accommodate up to 120 passengers at a time and maximum capacity per year is up to 15% capacity of the whole terminal.

Furthermore, Van Don International Airport also provides VIP standard pick-up and drop-off services including pick-up right in front of the immigration area (for commercial flights) or at the foot of the elevator (for flights with jets), helping with immigration procedures (for international flights), supporting fast baggage claim, helping passengers with airline procedures and drop-off at the boarding gate, etc.

In 2019, Van Don International Airport was named as Asia's Leading New Airport and the World's Leading New Airport by World Travel Awards. In 2020, during the outbreak of COVID-19, Van Don Airport took on an important national responsibility, which was to pick-up and ensure safety for Vietnamese people from pandemic-hit areas back to Viet Nam.

Mr. Pham Ngoc Sau, Director of Van Don International Airport, said that the two awards presented by WTA-Asia Region today are proof of the growth and development efforts of Van Don Airport, helping the airport to name itself in the World Aeronautical Charts. "It is also the pride and motivation for us to continue to complete and further improve service quality to bring the best customer experience," said Mr. Pham Ngoc Sau.

As of November 3, 2020, after nearly two years of operation, Van Don International Airport has served more than 3,000 safe flights with more than 370,000 passengers, including more than 40,000 international passengers.

At present, despite the adverse influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Van Don International Airport is still operating the domestic route of Van Don - HCM City, picking up Vietnamese citizens from pandemic-hit countries back to Viet Nam and experts and high-quality labourers from major economic groups in the world coming to Viet Nam to work. All flights to and from Van Don Airport are assessed as safe thanks to a special pandemic prevention process.

Van Don International Airport will continue to coordinate with domestic and international airlines to reopen other routes in the future, when the pandemic is successfully controlled.

Reference information:

Van Don International Airport (Doan Ket Commune, Van Don District, Quang Ninh Province) has a total investment of VND7,463 billion. This is the first international airport invested by a private corporation in Viet Nam and completed after only two years of construction.

As a 4E-class airport under International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, Van Don International Airport can accommodate the most modern aircraft in the world such as Boeing 787 and Airbus 350 with seven parking positions. It has a capacity of 2.5 million passengers per year in the first phase and is expected to receive five million passengers per year by 2030.