(QNO) - In mid-July 2024, domestic public opinion was surprised when Quang Nam Newspaper and many other press agencies simultaneously reported that during his state visit to India, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directly introduced Chu Lai airport to billionaire Gautam Adani - Chairman of Adani Group - India's largest energy group - and called on this investor to form a joint venture with Vietnam's Sovico Group to invest in developing Chu Lai.
What is so special about Chu Lai that the Prime Minister himself is interested in? And this is the answer of the head of the Government during his visit and work in Quang Nam on February 8, 2025: “For a long time, I have been very enthusiastic about the Chu Lai airport project. This is an airport with a very special and unique location, with outstanding advantages in international competition and integration. From Chu Lai airport, it only takes 3-4 hours of flight to reach all major economic centers in the Northeast Asia region. We have more than 2,000 hectares of clean land, without costly compensation. Investing in the development of Chu Lai airport does not require too much money, while the benefits it brings are extremely large!”
In the midst of these historic March days, when mentioning the name Chu Lai, in the minds of many generations of Quang Nam people, emotions and pride must arise. Chu Lai - Nui Thanh is the place that marks the glorious victory of the army and people of Quang Nam, with an "American-destroying belt" and the first battle to fight and defeat the Americans, contributing to defining the name of Quang Nam as a land of "brave and resilient, leading the way in destroying the Americans" in the resistance war to save the country, to reunite the Vietnamese people.
Chu Lai - more than 65 years ago, was the place where the US imperialists chose to build a giant military base and a military airport with 1,219.2m of runway, more than 304m of access road and many technical equipment to increase attacks on the South in the "special war" strategy.
However, after the day the homeland was completely liberated, facing immediate concerns about poverty and an almost self-sufficient economy due to the prolonged embargo of hostile forces, Chu Lai was forgotten and deserted for nearly two decades.
From 1975 to 1994, in all strategic planning documents and socio-economic development plans of Quang Nam - Da Nang province (old), there was no trace of Chu Lai airport. This place became a wasteland, a place for local people to graze cattle and buffaloes, and scattered patches of casuarina forests to block the wind, outside the strictly protected area of a military barracks, serving national defense work.
It was not until September 19, 1994, that a special and unexpected event occurred: Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, during his working trip to Quang Nam (September 18 and 19), directly surveyed Chu Lai airport! Documents from the provincial Party Committee stated that this survey by the Prime Minister was part of the Government's planned projects calling for joint ventures and investment partnerships.
This event can be said to be the first time that the restoration and development of Chu Lai airport has been put into focus; more specifically and impressively, it is the focus from the Government!
In the last days of 2000, a scientific conference gathered many of the country's leading experts in the ancient town of Hoi An to discuss a strategy to change the fate of Quang Nam - from one of the poorest and most disadvantaged provinces in the country to become a strong growth pole of the region and international integration. The conference had a very impressive name: "From the ancient port of Hoi An to the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone today".
It should also be mentioned that in the more than 550-year history of development of Quang Nam since King Le Thanh Tong established "Quang Nam Thua Tuyen Dao" in 1471, Quang Nam's economy had a period of brilliant and prosperous development, with Hoi An trading port from the 16th-17th centuries, being the busiest international trading place in the country for a long period, with the open-door policy of Lord Nguyen.
Connecting the past and the present, many scientists and economic experts believe that with Chu Lai Open Economic Zone, the ancient port of Hoi An will certainly be recreated, of course, with a new stature and a new mission in the trend of the times.
And for the first time, research documents on the potential, position, unique advantages, and prospects of “naming” Chu Lai on the national, regional, and international aviation map have been published in great numbers. These documents have surprised, amazed, and interested many people.
A Chu Lai dream has been kindled in the hearts of the people of Quang!
Previously, in the first year of re-establishing Quang Nam province - 1997, according to the later revelation of economic expert Bui Kien Thanh (former economic advisor to Prime Ministers Vo Van Kiet, Phan Van Khai and Nguyen Tan Dung), he personally called on a number of leading economic - aviation corporations of the United States to survey and cooperate in investing in developing Chu Lai airport. After studying and surveying the reality, foreign investors were very enthusiastic, excited, expressing their intention to turn Chu Lai into a world-class international airport!
There must be something very special about Chu Lai that attracts the attention of American investors! And that special thing, according to the analysis of expert Bui Kien Thanh and many scientists at the above-mentioned workshop, can be summarized as follows: (1) Chu Lai is the midpoint of the country, with terrain, geology, climate, hydrology, and air traffic conditions that are completely favorable for the construction and operation of an airport. (2) Chu Lai has a large area, more than 2,000 hectares, mainly vacant land, with no compensation or clearance costs, capable of developing into a world-class civil aviation center and international transportation center. (3) From Chu Lai, it only takes 3-4 hours of flight to land at the largest economic centers of Northeast Asia such as Seoul (Korea), Shanghai, Beijing (China), Australia... (4) Chu Lai is located in Chu Lai Open Economic Zone, next to Ky Ha and Dung Quoc seaports and economic zones, industrial parks, very convenient for the development of airport urban areas and international cargo transit...
As expert Bui Kien Thanh said, there are few airports in Vietnam that have all the perfect conditions to develop strongly in the trend of international economic integration like Chu Lai airport!
[VIDEO] - Airplane landing at Chu Lai airport:
On June 5, 2003, the Prime Minister issued Decision 108/QD-TTg to establish Chu Lai Open Economic Zone - the first open economic zone in the country. The announcement ceremony of the decision, along with the groundbreaking ceremony of the THACO Group's truck assembly plant, took place in the joyful atmosphere of tens of thousands of Quang people present at the event. Faith and hope were evident on the faces of many people, including the old men and women who had just given up their ancestors' gardens, accepting to leave in the midst of countless hardships.
Very soon after, in 2004, the Vietnamese aviation industry invested in the Chu Lai Airport Passenger Terminal project with a total floor area of 2,700m2 . And on March 22, 2005, Vietnam Airlines officially launched the first commercial flight route: Chu Lai - Ho Chi Minh City and vice versa with a frequency of 2 flights/week. Chu Lai Airport was officially revived!
However, just like the open economic zone, the initial expectations have not come true. After more than 20 years of construction, although it is considered the most successful of the economic zones in the country, Chu Lai Open Economic Zone still only has the form of an industrial park. The contents of the open economic zone as originally planned, such as special investment attraction mechanisms, special economic development institutions, tariff zones, etc., are still quite vague. And of course, Chu Lai airport also suffers the same fate!
But the following year, other airlines continued to open commercial flights from Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports to Chu Lai and vice versa every week, with more flights taking off and landing, and the number of passengers increasing every year. However, after 20 years, Chu Lai airport is still a small airport with a capacity of only about 1 million passengers per year, completely not commensurate with its potential and initial expectations.
Chu Lai Airport is currently a level 4C airport, including 3 aircraft parking lots, capable of receiving A320/A321 aircraft and other types of aircraft with equivalent technical features and payload or less. The passenger terminal after renovation and expansion has an area of 4,170m2 . The service capacity reaches 600 passengers/peak hour and is capable of receiving from 1.2 to 1.7 million passengers per year.
In the period of 2022 - 2025, Chu Lai Airport will welcome about 800,000 to 1,150,000 passengers per year (reaching 80% of the terminal's design capacity), currently operating 4 airlines: Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways.
Recently, Vietnam Airports Corporation has invested nearly 600 billion VND in upgrading, mainly synchronizing and improving infrastructure, including: Installing precise aircraft landing guidance equipment, modern aviation security equipment, as well as deploying online passenger services...
[VIDEO] - Mr. Nguyen Duong - Deputy Director of Chu Lai Airport shared about the current status and development goals of Chu Lai airport in the coming time:
Since 2017, the policy of socializing investment in Chu Lai airport has been agreed upon by the Government, assigned to central ministries and branches to coordinate with Quang Nam province to study, propose planning and policies to attract investment.
By 2022, during the visit and working session of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Quang Nam, the policy became clearer and more specific. Implementing Notice No. 135/TB-VPCP dated May 6, 2022 of the Government Office on the Prime Minister's concluding comments at the working session with the leaders of Quang Nam province, the central ministries and branches have coordinated with the People's Committee of Quang Nam province to implement many tasks, specifically: developing a project to socialize investment and exploitation of Chu Lai Airport; master plan for the development of the national airport system for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050 (approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 648/QD-TTg Decision No. 648/QD-TTg dated June 7, 2023), including the planning of Chu Lai Airport for the period up to 2030 with a capacity of about 10 million passengers/year; by 2050 about 30 million passengers/year...
In particular, the Quang Nam Provincial Planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision 72/QD-TTg, which determined the construction of Chu Lai airport to meet 4F standards (the highest level of civil airports according to the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization), as an international passenger and cargo transportation center, a major aircraft maintenance and repair center in the country.
However, the progress of investment in developing Chu Lai airport from 2022 to present is still very slow, according to the assessment of the Prime Minister at the recent working session with Quang Nam province. Therefore, the Prime Minister requested Quang Nam and central ministries and branches to actively coordinate and speed up investment procedures for Chu Lai airport in the direction of building an airport ecosystem, with many synchronous items, including: modern passenger terminal, taxiways, aircraft parking lots; duty-free zones, airport urban areas, etc.
“Investment procedures must be completed within 6 months, and the airport must be completed within 2 years to quickly put into operation,” Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized.
According to experts' analysis, the airport urban model is a development trend in the world. In fact, non-aviation services at the airport contribute 50% of the airport's revenue but will bring in up to 83% of the profit, contributing to offset losses for aviation services such as check-in procedures, customs, etc., and reducing airport fees per passenger.
Speaking with Quang Nam Newspaper, Architect Hoang Su - former Director of the Institute of Urban and Rural Planning of Quang Nam province, former Chairman of the Quang Nam Architects Association, acknowledged that Chu Lai has the potential to develop an airport urban area, due to its strategic location between Da Nang - Quang Ngai, which can become a logistics and high-tech industrial center. Furthermore, the transportation system is quite convenient, adjacent to the Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway, Ky Ha port, Chu Lai Open Economic Zone, creating advantages for trade and production development. In addition, Quang Nam is promoting FDI attraction in the aviation industry, logistics, high-tech manufacturing, etc.
Attracting large economic groups to invest is the fastest and shortest way for Chu Lai to take off further. The draft planning project for the duty-free zone (including export processing zones, export processing enterprises, bonded warehouses, special economic and commercial zones, commercial - industrial zones, etc.) of Tam Quang has many contents related to the economic activities of Chu Lai airport. Meanwhile, the overload of Da Nang International Airport can create an increasing demand for air transport and accompanying logistics services at Chu Lai airport.
[VIDEO] – Scene of Chu Lai Airport busy operating on March 13, 2025:
In the investment portfolio according to the Quang Nam Provincial Planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, Chu Lai airport is oriented to develop to level 4F. By 2030, this airport will have a capacity to serve about 10 million passengers per year and increase to 30 million passengers per year by 2050. The total estimated investment capital demand is about 11,000 billion VND, including: airport area 3,500 billion VND; parking area 1,000 billion VND; civil aviation area 6,500 billion VND (this figure does not include site clearance costs).
In recent times, many large domestic and foreign investors have worked with the province to study the feasibility of investing in the construction of Chu Lai airport. Most recently, the Adani Group of India came to study and had meetings with the leaders of Quang Nam province about coordinating with the Sovico Group to invest in developing Chu Lai airport under the PPP method.
Along with promoting investment attraction, Quang Nam is also urgently coordinating with central ministries and branches to implement a series of other tasks, such as: establishing procedures to hand over airport land (about more than 800 hectares) managed by the Ministry of National Defense to the People's Committee of Quang Nam province; completing the Project on socialization of investment in developing Chu Lai airport; planning the airport urban area; proposing the Government to assign the task of investor of Chu Lai airport to Quang Nam province; establishing a Working Group to handle documents and procedures related to the organization of selecting investors and exploiting Chu Lai airport, headed by Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Nam Hung...
According to the opinions of the representatives of the ministries and branches accompanying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during his visit and working session with Quang Nam in early February 2025, the legal problems related to the implementation of the policy of socializing investment in Chu Lai airport have been basically resolved. The remaining issue is to coordinate synchronously to implement the procedures to soon start construction of this particularly important project.
Thus, it can be affirmed that the opportunity for Chu Lai airport to take off is clear and concrete. The dream of a regional-scale international air transit port, a passenger transport center with a capacity of 10 million passengers/year by 2030 and a larger Chu Lai ecosystem, as expected by many scientists more than 2 decades ago, is no longer too far away!
And, more specifically, once Chu Lai takes off, it will be a launching pad for Quang Nam to accelerate and break through!
A Chu Lai dream, is coming. Very close!
[VIDEO] - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Van Dung shared about the potential of Chu Lai airport:
When did Chu Lai Airport appear on the Vietnam aviation map?
According to military historical documents, in early 1965, in the south of Quang Nam - Da Nang, due to the continuous attacks and resistance of the Southern Liberation Army in Military Region 5 and the Central Highlands, the US imperialists built an airport with a short runway to carry out military missions, better protecting Da Nang airport. On April 25, 1965, US President Johnson approved the plan to land marines in Chu Lai to build an airport there. According to statistics, more than 10,925 tons of equipment and supplies were unloaded and moved on the beach to the airport construction site.
To build Chu Lai airport, the 4th US Marine Brigade forcibly relocated the homes of about 400 Vietnamese civilians living in the area of Ky Lien and Ky Ha communes (now Tam Quang and Tam Nghia communes in Nui Thanh district) to resettle in a new place. On May 31, 1965, US military technicians completed the construction of nearly 1,219.2m of runway and more than 304m of approach road, allowing tactical aircraft to land. Since then, Chu Lai airport has been named on the Vietnamese aviation map.
On June 1, 1965, the first four A-4 Skyhawks from a US Navy aircraft carrier landed on the runway of Chu Lai airport, marking America's ambition to expand the war of aggression against Vietnam. Thus, before 1975, Chu Lai airport was an air base of the Republic of Vietnam Army and the US Army, used for military purposes.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/san-bay-chu-lai-thoi-co-cat-canh-3151123.html
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