Hanoi’s Gia Lam Airport was once Hanoi’s primary civil aviation hub; however, it no longer handles scheduled commercial passenger services and has been repurposed as a helicopter airport and general aviation base.
Primarily operating as a helicopter airport, it offers sightseeing flights to destinations such as Ha Long Bay. It also has the capability to accommodate small tactical transport aircraft (e.g., NC‑212I) and serves as the home base for the Vietnam Air Force’s 918th Transport Regiment. In 1956, Vietnam Airlines was established here, and during World War II and the Vietnam War, the airport functioned as a key military installation and a detention facility for prisoners of war.
With the commissioning of Noi Bai International Airport in 1978, Gia Lam Airport’s civil aviation passenger operations were entirely phased out. Today, travelers entering or departing Hanoi are advised to use Noi Bai International Airport exclusively; Gia Lam Airport does not operate any international or domestic scheduled passenger routes.
