HCMC – The northern upland province of Ha Giang is working on a plan to build an airport which will serve both military and civil purposes, said a local official.

A planning consulting firm in the province suggested building the airport for civil and military uses on 500 hectares of land, which could accommodate aircraft such as Airbus A320s and A321s, Dang Quoc Khanh, head of the provincial Party Committee, said at a conference chaired by Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung on February 14 to appraise the master zoning plan of Ha Giang.

Regarding tourism development orientations, Ha Giang will not opt to focus on building resorts. Instead, it would develop eco and community-based tourism projects, through which visitors can experience local landscapes and cultural customs, Khanh said, adding that the development of the mixed-use airport would contribute to local tourism growth.

Speaking at the conference, Minister Dung said Ha Giang, as a northernmost Vietnamese province, has a strategic location and substantial growth potential, and that he had considered the proposal to build the airport to bolster the border economy.

Nguyen Van Son, chairman of the provincial government, said Ha Giang is set to pursue sustainable development goals. The mountainous border province will strive to get its GRDP growth exceeding 8% per annum by 2030. It looks to serve some five million tourist arrivals and targets 60% in forest coverage by 2030.