Gia Lam Airport

Gia Lam Airport

Sân bay Gia Lâm
Gia Lam Airfield in 1967.
Summary
Airport typePublic / Military
OwnerVietnam People's Air Force
ServesHanoi Capital Region
LocationLong Biên district
Opened1936 (1936)
Passenger services ceased2 January 1978 (1978-01-02)
Elevation AMSL15 m / 50 ft
Coordinates21°02′27.51″N 105°53′09.64″E / 21.0409750°N 105.8860111°E / 21.0409750; 105.8860111
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
02/20 2,001 6,565 Asphalt

Gia Lam Airport (ICAO: VVGL) is an airport in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, located in Long Biên district, on the eastern bank of the Red River. It is primarily a military field, used by the Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF), with MiG-21 fighters and Kamov Ka-28 helicopters stored in revetments. The airfield was inaugurated in 1936, before the Japanese occupation of French Indochina. The airport is currently used for military training activities, as well as for chartered helicopter taxi flights for tourists visiting nearby attractions such as Ha Long Bay. There are plans to convert Gia Lam to a civilian airport, serving short flights to and from locations in Northern Vietnam.