Ha Long International Cruise Port in the northern province’s Ha Long Town, home to UNESCO-recognized world heritage site Ha Long Bay, is Vietnam’s first cruise port for tourism only.
Construction, in the form of public-private partnership (PPP), finished in late 2018 with an investment of VND1 trillion ($43 million) by Sun Group, a leading Vietnamese real estate developer.
The cruise port includes a bridge 785 m long and 11.5 m wide across Cua Luc Bay that connects to the mainland. Another bridge for arrival is 524 m long, with two ships carrying 8,400 passengers able to dock here simultaneously. The station of the port covers an area of 4,500 sqm with three floors totaling 13,500 sqm.
Before Covid-19 hit, the port, a great boost to Ha Long’s tourism, welcomed many luxurious cruises bringing thousands of international guests to the bay.
Van Don International Airport, over 50 km from Ha Long Bay, is the first private airport in Vietnam.
It was built in 2015 in Van Don District at a cost of VND7.46 trillion ($323 million) by Sun Group in the form of build-operate-transfer (BOT).
The 325 ha airport is designed to welcome 2.5 million passengers a year. Its parking system is set to include seven bays for airplanes by 2030 from the minimum four in 2020.
The runway of Van Don Airport is equipped with the ILS Cat II navigation system, which guides aircraft to land easily even in adverse weather.
In February 2020, Van Don Airport was selected by the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam to specialize in welcoming passengers from Covid-19 pandemic zones. So far, it has received dozens of flights transporting thousands of people from Covid-19 hotspots like Indonesia, South Korea, China, Japan, the U.K., Germany and France.
The VND12 trillion ($519 million) Ha Long – Van Don Expressway, developed by Bien Cuong BOT Company in the form of BOT, started operation in December 2018.
The 60 km long expressway connects with Ha Long – Hai Phong Expressway and intersects with the main road to Van Don Airport, with designated speed of 100 kph.
Thanks to the expressway, it takes only about two hours to drive from the capital to Van Don Economic Zone, instead of the previous over five hours.
The VND13.6 trillion ($588 million) Ha Long – Hai Phong Expressway is 25 km long, 25 m wide, with four lanes and a maximum speed of 100 kph.
In September 2018, Ha Long – Hai Phong Expressway started operation. It has shortened the distance from Ha Long to Hanoi from 180 km to 130 km and from Ha Long to Hai Phong to only 25 km from the prior 75 km.
Bach Dang Bridge is designed to thrice resemble the letter H representing Hanoi, Hai Phong and Ha Long. The bridge has a length of 3.5 km and a reinforced structure that can resist level 8 earthquakes.
Cua Luc 1 Bridge started construction in April 2020, with a total investment of VND2.11 trillion, from the provincial budget. The project is expected to begin operation by the end of 2021.
Cua Luc 1 Bridge has a length of 4,265 m. It intersects with the road connecting Cai Lan – Viet Hung Industrial Park to Ha Long – Van Don Expressway. The end point connects with Highway 279 at Le Loi Commune, Ha Long Town.
The main section of the bridge is designed with steel arches filled with concrete and divided into six lanes, 33.1 m wide and a designated speed of 60 kph.
After Hoanh Bo District merged with Ha Long Town in early 2020, Quang Ninh Province prioritized investment in Cua Luc 1 Bridge to better connect both areas.