There has been widespread objections to a proposed USD363.6 airport project slated for the mountainous province of Lai Chau.

Lai Chau is one of the country's poorest provinces with per capita income last year of just VND18.2m, equivalent to just 40 percent of the country's average earnings.

Provincial party secretary Nguyen Khac Chu suggested the audacious plan to the prime minister during a conference discussing investment and tourism in Lai Chau Province. The proposed airport would be for joint civilian-military use and cost about VND8trn.

However, an aviation business commentator who wished to remain anonymous damned the plans as being unrealistic. "VND8trn is a huge figure. Even Phu Quoc International Airport didn’t need VND8trn. Lai Chau only needs a VND1trn airport."

He commented that local authorities were obsessed with building big and expensive airports. But all this would mean would be passengers facing higher fares, which would actually make the model unsustainable. "We should learn from the private airports in Thailand. Their airports are simple, cost little and operate efficiently," he said.

Economists also expressed concerns particularly given the current constraints on the budget. Lai Chau is also currently limited in its tourism appeal.

Instead it has been proposed that passengers can use Dien Bien Airport that is 200km away. While the quality of roads connecting Dien Bien to Lai Chau and Lao Cai is in more urgent need of upgrading before any thoughts about an airport are considered.

Nguyen Tri Hieu, an independent director on the board of Ocean Bank, said, "An airport can boost tourism, but the cost is much higher than the short-term benefits. This has to be carefully considered."

Dtinews