International Flights to Luang Namtha
In the near future it will be possible to fly directly from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar to Luang Namtha. This is a great news to me because I have always wanted to visit the Boat Landing Guest House and Restaurant and this will make my travel plan a lot easier.
Luang Namtha airport to open for international flights
A sub-regional international airport in Luang Namtha province will open at the end of this month after about 18 months of renovation, a provincial official said yesterday.
“We believe this new airport will provide better access to the region for tourists,” the manager of the local branch of Green Discovery, Mr Somphone Soukkhaseum, said.
Visitors from the five surrounding countries of China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar will be able to use the airport when it goes into service.
Mr Somphone told Vientiane Times that the Luang Namtha provincial Public Works and Transport Department, in collaboration with the Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA) is preparing to open the airport on March 31.
The previous airport, which serviced only domestic flights, has been converted into a small international airport, he said.
According to the LNTA, about US$4 million was borrowed from the Asian Development Bank to fund the renovation of the airport.
The new facilities will promote tourism and business, as well as commercial and investment activities between Laos and countries in the region, Mr Somphone said.
At present, most tourists travel to Luang Namtha province by bus, after flying to Luang Prabang International Airport.
The town of Luang Namtha is more than 340 km from Luang Prabang.
When the new airport opens it will no longer be necessary for visitors to make the long journey from Vientiane to Luang Namtha province by road, a trip which takes two days and is much too long for most people, especially investors and foreign visitors.
By Khonesavanh Latsaphao
March 11, 2008
Vientiane Times - Vientianetimes.org.la
With the completion of the hard surface banked highway from Huay Xai, and Thailand, and now a long runway, and one would assume all weather capablitiy, Luang Namtha is all set to rock.
In January 07 I would guess there were somewhere in the vicinity of fifty or sixty guests per night in town, I wonder if 09 will be double the occupancy rate, or triple or more? And don’t forget a lot of people take the two hour jaunt over the hill to Muang Sing when they go to Namtha.
Better book your reservations at the Boat Landing well in advance.
Hi Somchai,
No more excuse to not travel that way anymore. I’ll be sure to call them before I head up there. I’ve known about them a few years ago and have been a fan of their eco-tourism ever since. Let’s hope they still remember me as Darly from Laoplanet.net.
How could anyone forget you?
This is great news about the airport, and a place that I want to visit, I just hope that it wont be like Vang Vieng, not that Vang Vieng is bad, its just "not the same" with the influx of tourism, remember my 3 P´s comment?
BTW Somchai, I read on your blog http://laobumpkin.blogspot.com/2008/02/missing-in-laos-pawn-still-gone.html about Pawn. That scares me a little….