According to the Ministry of Transport, the second passenger terminal at the Noi Bai International Airport, the Nhat Tan Bridge and the road linking between Noi Bai to Nhat Tan which will open this week, will have an immediate effect on improving journey times.

The projects will provide visitors to the capital with a better experience, the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), which funded the projects, claimed.

The 8.91 kilometre Nhat Tan Bridge which spans the Red River is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in Southeast Asia. Together with the road linking to Noi Bai International Airport, they will prove to be two key projects to improve transport capacity from Hanoi to the airport.

Nhat Tan Bridge cost VND13.6 trillion ($647million), including loans from JICA and the reciprocal government funding.

The second terminal at Noi Bai started construction in December 2011 and has cost nearly $1billion. The terminal is capable of receiving 10 million passengers per year currently and 15 million passengers per year by 2030. The new terminal will reduce the serious overloading of Terminal 1.

The Vietnam Airport Corporation also decided to lavish VND300 billion on a VIP Reception at Noi Bai. The area will only be used by ‘high-ranking’ delegations and restricted to use under international diplomatic reception regulations.

The $320 million, 12 kilometre road linking the Noi Bai International Airport to the Nhat Tan Bridge should ease traffic volume and serve the development of the Noi Bai in the future.