When Sky and Sea Open Up Together

The "Sky Gate" Opens to Welcome Visitors Back

At precisely midnight on August 19, following more than five months of temporary closure for runway and taxiway upgrades, Lien Khuong International Airport resumed operations, restoring one of Lam Dong's vital transportation gateways.

Early in the morning, at the airport departure hall, we witnessed a considerable number of passengers with luggage filing through security checkpoints. The airport was bustling again after months of suspended operations. The inaugural flights not only brought travelers to Da Lat and Lam Dong but also marked the reconnection of a crucial transport route, helping shorten the distance between the plateau and domestic and international economic and tourism centers.

This timing is all the more significant as local tourism maintains a high growth momentum. During the first seven months of 2026, Lam Dong served over 14.2 million visitors, an increase of 18.58 percent over the same period. Total visitor days reached over 26.4 million, up 20.47 percent. Total tourism revenue exceeded 39.336 trillion dong, climbing nearly 22 percent. Building on this positive growth, the return of Lien Khuong International Airport creates additional room for new expansion. Lam Dong has also prepared a plan to restore and expand its air route network.

According to the plan, the airport is expected to operate 36 to 40 flights per day, serving approximately 6,800 passengers daily. For the final four months of 2026 alone, it is projected to handle about 816,000 passengers. Alongside the restoration of domestic routes to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Vinh, Hai Phong, and Can Tho, the Da Lat - Kuala Lumpur route is scheduled to restart on September 2 with four flights per week.

According to Nguyen Ngoc Phuc, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, further ahead, the province aims to restore routes to Thanh Hoa, Hue, and Phu Quoc, while promoting air connections with several international markets. Tourism enterprises are encouraged to develop package tours combining airfares, accommodation, transportation and sightseeing. Simultaneously, the province is enhancing promotion, data connectivity, and service quality. The objective is not only to bring visitors to Lam Dong but also to turn travelers into a resource for tourism and service sectors.
Unblocking Coastal Logistics Arteries
Lam Dong possesses a distinct advantage with over 192 kilometers of coastline and a port system stretching from Vinh Tan to Son My. Vinh Tan International Port is playing an increasingly evident role in Lam Dong's logistics and import-export activities.

Ho Van Muoi, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, affirmed: "Vinh Tan International Port is a project of strategic importance, serving as a favorable opportunity to promote socioeconomic development and connect industrial parks in the region."

According to the plan, by 2030, the Vinh Tan International Port terminal area will feature 5 terminals with 10 berths, meeting annual cargo throughput demand of 15 to over 19.1 million tons.

The Vinh Tan International Port terminal alone is planned with 4 berths for general cargo, containers, and dry bulk, spanning a total length of 860 meters and capable of receiving vessels up to 100,000 deadweight tons. Its projected cargo throughput is estimated at 3.3 to 4 million tons per year. Yet the value of Vinh Tan extends beyond pier scale. This area is situated near National Highway 1A and the North-South railway, while connecting to the expressway network. These conditions enable the formation of a multimodal transport corridor, expanding the port hinterland.

Reality demonstrates steadily growing connectivity demands. In the first seven months of 2026, Lam Dong's transportation and warehousing revenue increased by 23.82 percent year-on-year. Cargo volume through Vinh Tan International Port alone reached over 1.74 million tons, illustrating the port's expanding role in regional cargo connections.

With a total investment exceeding VND 2.2 trillion , Vinh Tan International Port accommodates general import-export cargo, serving socioeconomic development in Lam Dong province and the South Central Coast region. Under Prime Ministerial Decision No. 140/QD-TTg dated January 16, 2025, the Vinh Tan terminal area is included in the master plan for seaport groups, terminals, wharves, mooring buoys, water areas, and water zones for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050.

Alongside Vinh Tan International Port, in the southern part of the province, the Son My port terminal area is planned in conjunction with the Son My Industrial Park, Son My LNG storage facility, and power center, with the capacity to receive vessels up to 150,000 DWT. If developed synchronously, Son My will supplement another connectivity route for the southern industrial and logistics space.

From Gateways to a Development Corridor
Lien Khuong, Vinh Tan, and Son My can be viewed not merely as isolated transport infrastructure projects, but as interconnecting nodes within a broader economic landscape. The "sky gate" opens to welcome visitors, experts, investors, and economic exchanges. The "sea gate" opens flows of goods from production regions and industrial parks to markets. Between these two gateways lies a vast expanse encompassing agriculture, industry, urban development, tourism, and services. If connected synchronously, passenger and freight flows will not simply pass through Lam Dong but generate value directly within the locality via service, production, processing, logistics, and commercial systems.

That is why the reopening of Lien Khuong air routes and the effective utilization of the seaport system must be viewed within a larger picture. Each transport route unblocked represents an opened market access opportunity; each logistics node enhanced in capacity provides an additional condition for local goods to integrate deeper into supply chains.

From the "sky gate" to the "sea gate," Lam Dong is acquiring additional openings to bring people, goods, and resources closer to markets; thereby gradually expanding development space, enhancing competitiveness, and generating new growth momentum for the new phase.

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The reopening of Lien Khuong International Airport creates highly favorable conditions for Lam Dong to recover and expand its route network, strengthening connectivity with domestic and international markets.

Nguyen Ngoc Phuc, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee