Dien Bien Airport in northern mountainous Dien Bien province is expected to reopen for operations on December 2 after being closed for upgrades and expansion, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has said.

It has been in contact with Vietnam Airlines, the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation, and other airlines such as Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, Pacific Airlines, and Vietravel Airlines about planning for flights to and from Dien Bien Airport.

The project to upgrade and expand the airport began in January 2022 and cost nearly VND1.5 trillion ($61 million), raising capacity to 500,000 passengers annually from 300,000 previously.

This will help attract more investors in tourism and other commercial services to the locality, and help promote the traditional values and customs of local people, especially those of ethnic minority groups.

Of the six provinces in Vietnam’s northern mountainous region, Dien Bien is the only one accessible by air.