The gateway to Da Lat, the highland resort at 1,500 m, reopens after five and a half months. Lien Khuong International Airport in Lam Dong Province had been closed since March 4 for a full runway overhaul, but resumes operations on August 19. It starts with about 28 flights on the first day, after which domestic service alone brings back 91 round trips a week. A Can Tho-Da Lat flight also returns after six years, and in September an international Da Lat-Kuala Lumpur route begins. Being able to fly straight into this cool retreat in south-central Vietnam again matters to residents and to Japanese travelers seeking relief from the heat alike.
Launches with 28 flights on day one, and domestic service jumps straight back to 91 round trips a week
When service resumes on the first day, August 19, it starts with about 28 flights, and once the normal timetable kicks in it handles 36–40 flights a day, returning to a scale of roughly 6,800 passengers daily. Operations split between two carriers. Vietjet Air flies 49 round trips a week across five routes—Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Vinh, and Da Nang—while Vietnam Airlines flies 42 round trips a week on Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang with Airbus A321s. The combined 91 round trips a week means an almost immediate return to something close to the flight volume before the closure.
The Vietnam Airlines group plans to adjust frequencies further through September and October, raising flights linking Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang with Lien Khuong to as many as 7 round trips a day. The aim is to thicken supply during the period that overlaps the summer getaway season.
| Airline | Main domestic routes | Round-trip flights per week | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| VietJet Air | Hanoi / Ho Chi Minh City / Hai Phong / Vinh / Da Nang | 49 round trips | — |
| Vietnam Airlines | Hanoi / Ho Chi Minh City / Da Nang | 42 round trips | A321 |
| VASCO (Vietnam Airlines Group) | Can Tho | 7 round trips a week (initially one a day) | ATR72 |
Can Tho–Da Lat returns on VASCO's ATR72 after six years, and the Kuala Lumpur route resumes in September
What stands out most in this reopening is the revival of the route linking Can Tho, the hub of the Mekong Delta, with Da Lat. This segment had been suspended for about six years, but from August 19 VASCO, part of the Vietnam Airlines group, flies one round trip a day using ATR72 turboprops. In September and October it is expected to be adjusted to five round trips a week—Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—restoring the option of traveling directly from the Mekong Delta to the south-central highlands without relying on cars and long-distance buses.
On international routes, the Da Lat–Kuala Lumpur service is reported to resume on September 2 at 4 round trips a week. A regional airport connecting directly to a neighboring capital gives Da Lat one more gateway from within Southeast Asia. For travelers from Japan, a Kuala Lumpur connection becomes, at least on paper, a workable option.
During the five and a half months of closure, the realistic options were via Cam Ranh (160 km) or Buon Ma Thuot (200 km)
How did people reach Da Lat during the closure that ran from March? With air access fully cut, the practical option was an overland transfer from a nearby airport. The most used was Cam Ranh International Airport in Nha Trang, about 160 km from Da Lat, a three-to-four-hour drive. Travelers from the north also chose to route through Buon Ma Thuot Airport (about 200 km from Da Lat). From the south, the realistic fallback was the roughly 300 km up from Ho Chi Minh City by long-distance bus, a six-to-eight-hour trip.
SNS posts lined up: a resident writing "after landing at Cam Ranh it was four hours on mountain roads—a whole day lost to travel," and travelers lamenting that "over the holidays, flights and buses to Nha Trang fill up one to two months ahead" (all paraphrased). It shows clearly how just one airport closing sent a surge of strain onto the surrounding skies and roads. From August 19, this detour becomes unnecessary.
| Period | Main ways to reach Da Lat | Estimated time required |
|---|---|---|
| Closed (March–August) | Cam Ranh Airport (Nha Trang) → 160 km overland | Flight plus a 3-4 hour drive |
| Closed (March–August) | 300 km by long-distance bus from Ho Chi Minh City | 6–8 hours |
| From August 19 | Land directly at Lien Khuong Airport | About 30 km to central Da Lat |
Repaving the runway from asphalt to concrete for about 1.032 trillion dong, with an eye on 5 million passengers by 2030
The reason it was closed for five and a half months in the first place was to completely rebuild runway 09-27. The existing asphalt pavement is being replaced with cement-concrete pavement and the structure reinforced. It is a key national project that also updates the taxiways, safety strips, and related facilities all at once, with a total investment of about 1.032 trillion dong (1,032 tỷ dong ≈ about US$39 million; roughly 6 billion yen at about 155 yen to the dollar—all approximate). The main work finished in July, and after calibration flights at the end of the month, the airport managed to reopen.
This upgrade goes beyond an immediate fix. Plans call for extending the runway to 3,600 m after 2030 and lifting annual passenger capacity to around 5 million, and eventually 7 million. You can see the logic: Da Lat, long a signature domestic destination as a cool-climate flower city, is thickening its infrastructure ahead of demand that a plain regional airport can't handle.
To reach Da Lat from Japan, connect via Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City, or look for a cheap domestic fare
There is no direct flight from Japan to Lien Khuong. In practice you first enter via Da Nang, Hanoi, or Ho Chi Minh City and transfer to a domestic flight to Da Lat. Vietnam Airlinesflying 11 times a week to Da Nang and otherwise deepening its Japan routes, it is easy to route through the central region and then head up to the south-central highlands. Since Da Nang–Da Lat is flown by both Vietjet and Vietnam Airlines, there are plenty of connection options too.
If you want to keep costs down, keep an eye on domestic-fare movements too. Vietnam's domestic routes areLate-night flights can run 30–50% cheaper at certain timesso in the early days after Da Lat flights return, fares can vary widely by time of day. Seats fill quickly right after the reopening, so if your dates are set, booking early is the safe choice.
Da Lat, where you land, is thick with remnants of the French colonial era. On the hill sitsa prestigious school of French architecture, curving in an arc, has stood here for 90 years, and, and the shape of a city where a cool climate, colonial architecture and flower farming coexist is easy to cover even in half a day precisely because the airport is close. The return of the air gateway isn't just about more flights — it makes the trip to this highland city itself lighter.
Sources referenced
- Kênh14 — Vietnam to resume international airport operations soon after more than five months closed
- VnExpress International — Over 90 weekly flights to resume as Vietnam international airport reopens from August
- Vietnam News — Liên Khương International Airport to resume operation from August 19
- Vietnam Airlines Spirit -- the Can Tho-Da Lat route returns after six years
- Vietcetera — Da Lat’s Only Airport Will Close for Six Months: How to Get There Without Flights?
