Lien Khuong airport reopens on 19 August 2026: what flies and how to reach town
Da Lat’s airport (DLI, Lien Khuong) resumes work at 00:00 on 19 August 2026 after five months shut for a runway rebuild. From day one it is planned at 36–40 flights a day, about 6,800 passengers. Every announced route is domestic — with an international ticket you still land in Ho Chi Minh City or Cam Ranh and drive up.
Check the date before you buy 19 August 2026 is the planned date from the airport operator ACV, confirmed by government outlets in June. This rebuild has slipped before, so check the date again a week before you fly: a non-refundable ticket costs more than five minutes of checking.
Who flies and where
Route
Frequency
Ho Chi Minh City — Da Lat, Vietnam Airlines
3 return flights a day
Hanoi — Da Lat, Vietnam Airlines
2 return flights a day
Da Nang — Da Lat, Vietnam Airlines
1 return flight a day
Hanoi — Da Lat, Vietjet
28 return flights a week
Ho Chi Minh City — Da Lat, Vietjet
7 return flights a week
Vinh — Da Lat, Vietjet
7 return flights a week
Hai Phong — Da Lat, Vietjet
4 return flights a week
Da Nang — Da Lat, Vietjet
3 return flights a week
No international flights yet
Before the closure Lien Khuong flew to Seoul, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. As of 8 August 2026 only domestic routes are announced; the province is negotiating the return of international ones, but there are no dates. Plan a connection in Ho Chi Minh City.
From the airport into town
The airport sits 28–30 km south of the centre and the drive takes about 45 minutes — a proper run down the highway, not a hop.
The Phuong Trang shuttle costs 50k ₫ and terminates in town at 2 Le Quy Don. It runs to the flight schedule.
A taxi or Grab is 250–300k ₫ per car. That is a checked price, not the meter: at the exit they quote more.
Arriving in the evening — arrange a transfer in advance: after the last flight there are few cars at the terminal.
Know a current price — send it through the “what you pay” form and we will show the median.
What this means for prices in town Five months without an airport kept Da Lat in “only the determined get here” mode. From 19 August the flow returns to six or seven thousand people a day, and rooms and transfers will feel it first. Travelling in late August — book earlier than you normally would.
The reopening date and flight frequency come from the airport operator ACV and government outlets (June 2026); the Vietjet routes come from the carrier’s own announcement. Distance and drive time are the airport’s figures. Shuttle and taxi prices come from our own checked airport card. Checked on 8 August 2026.
Options and prices
Grab, Be and InDrive must
App · city-wide
25–75k₫
$1–2.85
approx.
Works with foreign cards, needs no Vietnamese phone number, and the app is fully in English. It removes every taxi argument.
Worth knowing. Grab is the default: cars and bikes arrive in minutes and the price is fixed in the app. InDrive works differently — you name your own price and wait longer for someone to take it, which pays off on long runs: people get to Nha Trang for around 500,000 ₫ and order a seven-seat minivan for under a million.
Street taxis — Mai Linh & Lado
City-wide
12–18k₫
$0.45–0.68
checked
If you must flag one on the street, use only Mai Linh (green) or Lado. Mai Linh 0263 3838 3838, Lado 02633 666 777.
Careful. The classic Da Lat scam: a driver tells you your hotel is closed or full and takes you to a commission property. It is never true. Use Grab.
Xanh SM (electric)
App · city-wide
12.5–20k₫
$0.48–0.77
approx.
VinFast's all-electric fleet — silent, clean cars and drivers who do not haggle. A good second app when Grab is surging.
Worth knowing. Card support is still patchy; carry cash. A Vietnamese number helps but is not always required.
Da Lat ⇄ Ho Chi Minh City must
Phuong Trang (FUTA), 2 Le Quy Don
200–450k₫
$8–18
checked
With the airport closed this is the main way in and out. Phuong Trang runs 41-seat sleepers with wifi and a free hotel shuttle at both ends.
Worth knowing. Book on Vexere or 12Go two or three days ahead. Ask for the lower deck, berths 4–12 — much steadier on the mountain passes.
Careful. Thanh Buoi has been running this route as contract buses rather than a licensed fixed route since early 2025. Prefer Phuong Trang.
Da Lat ⇄ Nha Trang
Limousine vans, 11 departures daily
170–300k₫
$6.50–11.50
checked
The fast escape to the sea, and right now also the route to the nearest open airport, Cam Ranh (CXR).
Worth knowing. Runs as daytime vans with hotel pickup, not overnight sleepers. The Khanh Le pass is spectacular — sit on the right going down.
Da Lat ⇄ Mui Ne
Limousine vans, 3 departures daily
250–490k₫
$9.60–19
checked
The sand dunes. Since the 2025 merger Mui Ne is technically the same province as Da Lat, and it is one of Vietnam's two Russian-speaking hubs.
Worth knowing. Not a day trip — the dunes are a sunrise and sunset thing. Plan at least one night.
Lien Khuong Airport (DLI) heads-up
28–30 km south, ~45 min
50–300k₫
$2–11.50
checked
Reopens 19 August 2026 after a full runway rebuild — the new strip is 3,250 m. Vietjet restores five domestic routes; Hanoi gets 28 return flights a week.
Worth knowing. The Phuong Trang shuttle is 50k and ends at 2 Le Quy Don in town. A taxi or Grab is 250–300k.
Careful. The August restart is domestic only. Pre-closure routes to Seoul, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur have not been announced as returning — check before booking an international connection.
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