Donaco offers hand in development of Lao Cai airport

Sunday 8th of May 2016

Australia-listed Donaco International Ltd has expressed interest in joining the development of the Lao Cai airport, in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, in Vietnam, local media reports.

Donaco managing director, Joey Lim reportedly made the comment at the Lao Cai Investment and Tourism Development 2016 conference, held over the weekend.

The airport is expected to commence operations by 2020. Once completed, the airport will have an annual capacity of 560,000 passengers and 600 tonnes of freight.

The airport will be able to handle flights to all domestic airports, as well as certain international airports, including Indonesia (Jakarta), Singapore, Malaysia, China (Kunming), and Laos (Vientiane).

"The proposal to build an airport in Lao Cai would have a very positive impact on the Aristo International Hotel," said Lim. "It will assist in the ongoing development of the local area into a hub for tourism and logistics."

“We would love to work with developer Sun Group and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) in the development,” said Lim.

“Eventually we’ll see Lao Cai becoming a hub for tourism and logistics and an airport is very critical for the development of the province.”

"The expressway from Noi Bai airport in Hanoi to Lao Cai has already improved tourist access to the Aristo immensely. Having a direct flight to Lao Cai would be a big saving in terms of time. So visitors will stay longer and will spend more money," added Lim.

Donaco currently operates the Aristo International Hotel in Lao Cai, a 5-star resort complex with 400 hotel rooms, 40 gaming tables and 58 gaming machines.

Once completed, the Lao Cai airport, which is the first airport in the region, will be able to see 560,000 passengers annually, and by 2030, its capacity will increase to 1.58 million passengers and 2,880 tonnes of freight per year.

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