Da Lat airport to close for 6 months for $36M upgrade
Lien Khuong Airport, the main aviation gateway to resort hill town Da Lat, will shut down for six months from March 4 to Aug. 25, 2026 for a major upgrade.
The project, worth more than VND966 billion (US$36.6 million), includes building an entirely new 3,250-meter runway, overhauling taxiways and drainage systems and installing new foundations for essential aviation equipment.
The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) confirmed the revised timeline during a working session with Lam Dong Province authorities on Nov. 25, noting that the closure period has been shortened by two months compared with earlier plans.
Once construction is finished, calibration flights will be carried out before commercial operations resume.
Lam Dong’s vice chairman Nguyen Hong Hai urged ACV to mobilize enough workers and machinery to begin work immediately once the airport closes, and to accelerate plans for a new T2 terminal and cargo terminal so the province can complete its long-awaited upgrade of aviation infrastructure.
Built in 1933 and last significantly renovated in 1997, Lien Khuong sits 28 km from downtown Da Lat and currently meets ICAO 3C standards.
Under Vietnam’s airport development plan to 2030, it will be upgraded to code 4E, capable of handling Boeing 787s and Airbus A350s, serving up to 5 million passengers and 20,000 tonnes of cargo annually.
A later phase will extend the runway to 3,600 meters and raise capacity to 7 million passengers, supported by Terminal T2, an aircraft maintenance zone, cargo facilities and a new fuel station.
By Khanh Huong & Truong Ha – VnExpress.net – November 25, 2025