Vietnam Airport: Guide to Book Flight & Transfer

In general, there are a total of 33 airports in Vietnam, consisting of civil airports, military airports, private airports, and former airports. Among those, civil airports including international and domestic ones are used to meet the need for tourism.

With regards to international flights, the busiest Vietnam international airports include Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN – Sai Gon), Noi Bai International Airport (HAN – Hanoi), and Da Nang International Airport (DAD – Da Nang). Besides, some tourism hubs like Phu Quoc and Nha Trang also receive direct flights from overseas.

When it comes to domestic flights, there is a multitude of Vietnam airports serving frequent air routes between distant destinations within the country. For those who plan a visit to Vietnam by air, keep scrolling to get into details of main Vietnam airports and choose the best destination for your arrival.

Vietnam International Airport

Up to now, Vietnam has 11 international airports located in 11 large cities from North to South. However, not all those mentioned are served with current international flights. In specific, 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 Trang). For those who submit a Vietnam visa on arrival, it is possible to arrive at only 3 airports: Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, and Da Nang.

Let’s take a glance at these 11 Vietnam international airports located in 11 famous tourist destinations that you can choose to fly in.

Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)

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 am to midnight, there is a free shuttle bus running every 10 – 15 minutes between two terminals.

Terminal

• Terminal 1: After the upgrade in March 2018, Terminal 1 with three lobbies (A, B, and E) is now capable of handling 15 million passengers annually. The domestic terminal offers a wide range of services: dining, shopping, café, currency exchange, ATMs, and transportation.
• Terminal 2: Established in 2015, Terminal 2 consists of 4 levels:
  • Level 1: Arrival Passenger Flow, Baggage Claim, Customs, Duty-Free, First Aid, and Information Counter
  • Level 2: Arrival Passenger & Transit Passenger Flow, and Immigration Counter
  • Level 3: Departure Passenger Flow, Security & Customs, Check-in, Departure Lounge, Tax Refund
  • Level 4: VIP lounges & airline offices

Services

There is a great diversity of services such as lost & found, food & drink concessions, restaurants & cafés, duty-free stalls, banking facilities, currency exchange, ATMs, car rental services, cash machines, baby care facilities, information desks, luggage storage & lockers, luggage wrapping, medical services, mobile chargers, etc.

Popular routes

Being the only airport in Hanoi, 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.

Hanoi (Noi Bai) International airport

Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)

Known as the biggest airport in Vietnam (800 ha), Tan Son Nhat welcomes nearly 40 million passengers per year, with a large number of flights in and out. Ho Chi Minh airport operates 2 terminals: Domestic T1 and International T2, connected by a 500m 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 for the domestic arrival hall and baggage claim; the line-up for the security check and departure hall.

Terminal 2: The international terminal is a four-story modern building with duty-free shops, airline lounges, café, restaurants, and entertainment areas. Floors 1 – 3 are for the arrival hall, baggage claim, connecting counter, immigration area, landing visa counter, check-in, and departure hall.

Services: At Tan Son Nhat, you can experience a variety of airport services like free Wifi, an information desk, luggage storage & packing, SIM cards, currency exchange, banking, shopping, restaurant, smoking room, rest zone, shower & spa at the business lounge, mobile charging, children entertainment, medical services, etc. Also, you can have a break at Starbucks or McDonalds.

Popular routes: Ho Chi Minh airport is always busy with plenty of international and domestic flights from/ to popular destinations in Vietnam and over the world. The busiest international routes connect Ho Chi Minh City with Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Tokyo, and Siem Reap. Meanwhile, the domestic Saigon – Hanoi route is the busiest in Southeast Asia and the 6^th busiest in the world, with a frequency of 596 flights per week.

Tan Son Nhat International airport Vietnam

Da Nang International Airport (DAD)

Built as a transportation hub in central Vietnam, Da Nang airport is the third-largest after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh airport. The traffic volume ranges from 100 to 150 flights per day on average. There are two terminals for domestic and international flights, which can be easy to go back and forth in 10 minutes through a beautiful green connecting corridor.

Terminal 1: The domestic terminal has 3 floors and 1 basement with more than 40 check-in counters and kiosks for each airline. You can find lounges, shops, and ATMs in the arrival hall.

Terminal 2: The international T2 has 2 floors divided into the arrival hall on the 1^st floor and the departure station on the 2^nd floor. There are 24 check-in counters and 22 immigration counters which are less busy than those in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh airport.

Services: Da Nang International Airport is highly ranked among the most comfortable and beautiful airports in the world. The airport is fully equipped with convenient services such as catering services, dining, coffee shops, duty-free shops, souvenir shops, airlines ticketing, tourist information, banking & ATMs, currency exchange, free mobile charging, internet connection, baby care room, baggage wrapping, smoking room, Vietnam delights, massage chairs, spa, VIP lounge, etc.

Popular routes: With more than 20 domestic and international airlines operating through Da Nang airport, the top busiest flights are to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Nha Trang, Seoul, Busan, Bangkok, Daegu, HongKong, Macau, and Singapore.

Cat Bi International Airport (HPH)

Set location in Hai Phong province, Cat Bi airport is 125 km to Hanoi and 60 km to Halong Bay. This airport is able to serve 5 million passengers per year with a capacity of 1,000 passengers/ rush hour. Until now, there are very few airlines exploiting around 20 flights from/ to Cat Bi.

Terminal: The domestic zone can be accessed through 4 departure gates from 1 to 4 in 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 via departure gates 5 and 6.

Services: A wide range of services like free wifi, free water, lost & found, medical services, children's playground, food, department store, etc. are available in use at Hai Phong airport.

Popular routes: Cat Bi now hosts domestic flights from/ to Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Da Nang, Buon Ma Thuot, and Da Lat. Meanwhile, the international terminal is opened to operating a number of international routes to Macau, Bangkok, Singapore, and Seoul.

Cat Bi Airport

Van Don International Airport (VDO)

Opened in December 2018, Van Don Airport is a transportation hub and the nearest airport to Halong Bay. This is the very first privately-run Vietnam international airport with a construction cost of 7.46 trillion VND. Van Don has quickly become the “World’s Leading New Airport” by World Travel Awards (WTA) in 2019.

Terminal: Van Don Airport has one passenger terminal that has a capacity of 2.5 million passengers and covers an area of almost 27,000 m². The airfield has 4 jet bridges, 4 baggage carousels, 8 security gates, and 31 check-in counters.

Services: Built as a newly advanced airport, Van Don is equipped with an up-to-date terminal building and high-class facilities. Here, you can find any world-class services at an international airport.

Popular routes: Currently, there are frequent domestic flights from Ho Chi Minh and Da Nang to Van Don. With regards to international routes, 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, Thailand to fly into Van Don Airport.

Van Don Airport

Phu Bai International Airport (HUI)

Phu Bai Airport officially comes into operation in October 2005 with a capacity of 1.5 million passengers per year. It is a small airport located in central Vietnam, which is 2.5 hours to Da Nang and 3 hours to Hoi An.

Terminal: The terminal has 2 floors: the 1^st one for arrival, check-in, and food concession; the 2^nd one for departure.

Services: Hue airport is equipped with adequate facilities and fast security. You can get any basic services like banking & ATMs, luggage catering, airport taxi, restaurants, and so on.

Popular routes: Despite being an international airport, Phu Bai hasn’t operated international flights yet. The 3 busiest domestic routes in Hue airport include Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, and Da Lat, exploited Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, VietJet Air, and Bamboo Airways.

Phu Bai Airport

Cam Ranh International Airport (CXR)

Located 30 km from the city centre, Cam Ranh is a Vietnam main airport serving the Nha Trang area. Each 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 spaces and pedestrian walking.

Terminal: Inspired by the shape of a swallow’s nest and the waves of Nha Trang Beach, the terminal building in Cam Ranh Airport is made up of dedicated levels for international and local tourists. The international terminal T2 has 4 aerobridges and 10 boarding gates to serve more than 20 international airlines per annum.

Services: The advanced facilities at Nha Trang airport give you the best convenience with different services of currency exchange, ATMs, shopping, restaurants, transfer options, and other more.

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.

Cam Ranh Airport

Lien Khuong Airport (DLI)

Located in the outskirts of Lam Dong province, Lien Khuong is around 30 km south of Da Lat's center town. This is the largest among the 4 airfields in the Central Highlands.

Terminal: In the shape of the wild sunflowers, Da Lat airport has 2 stories with a total floor area of 12,400 m². In December 2019, the major reconstruction was completed to handle bigger aircraft and a capacity of 2 million passengers.

Services: Besides the essential services like banking, ATMs, luggage catering, transportation, etc., Da Lat airport has limited choices of food & drink, entertainment, and other services.

Popular routes: The most frequent flight routes out of Da Lat airport are to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Vinh, Hai Phong, Bangkok, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, and Lanzhou. Beyond this, the airport has been upgraded to the international standard which helps Da Lat connect with more international flights to Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, and other cities in South Korea.

Lien Khuong Airport

Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC)

Completed in 2012, the new Phu Quoc International Airport has rapidly become one of the main airports in Vietnam. The airport covers a vast area in the “Pearl Island” of southern Vietnam. It has been built at the cost of 16.2 trillion VND invested by the standards of the World Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Terminal: Phu Quoc airport offers a high-class terminal with two functional areas located on both sides: the domestic in the west and the international in the east. There are separate pathways connecting the traffic from the public area and the corridor to the flight lounges, creating a high-privacy of one-way passenger flow. The terminal has 36 check-in counters, 10 security scanners, and 3 baggage conveyors in total.

Services: For the best convenience, Phu Quoc airport is home to plenty of dining and shopping venues. The passenger services are rationally arranged to meet the requirements of security and safety. Interestingly, this island-district has many hotels and resorts situated in the surroundings. So, you can easily book an airport transfer to your accommodation.

Popular routes: Flights from/ to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City are operating daily, while other domestic routes between Phu Quoc and Da Nang, Hai Phong, Vinh are scheduled around 20 – 21 flights per month. For international routes, Phu Quoc airport has non-stop flights to 9 destinations in 3 countries, the most popular ones including Seoul, Guangzhou, and Kuala Lumpur.

Phu Quoc Airport

Can Tho International Airport (VCA)

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 constructed to be an airbase by the US Air Force.

Terminal: The terminal building has two zones: the right flank from the main entrance for domestic routes and the left one for international routes. Since the latest renovation, Can Tho airport is well-equipped with the advanced technology of aviation.

Services: Built to meet the need of tourism in Mekong Delta, Can Tho airport offers a range of passenger services: cafeteria, currency exchange, tourist information, hotel booking, taxi transfer, souvenirs, and other more.

Popular routes: Until now, there are only domestic flights to Can Tho from Hanoi, Da Nang, Con Dao, Hai Phong, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Vinh, etc.

Can Tho Airport

Vinh International Airport (VII)

In north-central of Vietnam, Vinh International Airport is a busy transportation hub which is 7 km to Vinh City, Nghe An Province. In addition to the use of the civil airport, Vinh airport used to be one of the two main military airbases besides Gia Lam Airport, Hanoi.

Terminal: The terminal has 28 check-in counters and 4 boarding gates designed to receive a 3-million-passenger capacity per year. You can find the arrival on the 1^st floor while the 2^nd floor is for departure.

Services: There are up-to-date facilities, a VIP lounge, and a dozen of airline services for passengers in need.

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 exploit international flights from/ to Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, and Seoul.

Vinh Airport

Vietnam Domestic Airport

Along with those mentions, Vietnam has a variety of domestic airports making distance travel around the country smoother.

After this airport guide, you should make up your mind about how to book a flight in Vietnam, when to hunt for the best flight deal, and which the best way of Vietnam airport transfer is.

Nhung Dang

(Image source: The Internet)