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The future of Da Lat: what changes and when
For a decade Da Lat has sat away from the big routes: mountain switchbacks, an airport 30 km to the south, six to eight hours to Ho Chi Minh City. Over the next two years that breaks from both sides at once — the airport reopens and the expressway is being finished. Here is what has been announced, with dates and how much each date can be trusted.
What is announced and when
| Change | Date and status |
|---|---|
| Lien Khuong airport reopens after runway works | 19 August 2026 — confirmed by the operator |
| Domestic flights: HCMC 3 a day, Hanoi 2, Da Nang 1 | from 19 August 2026 — announced |
| Direct international flights | late 2026 at the earliest — no schedule |
| Dau Giay — Lien Khuong expressway in full, 220 km | works in 2026, traffic from 2027 — under construction |
| Three hours to Ho Chi Minh City | once the full road opens — today 6–8 hours |
| First international school: Maple Bear | planned, no date |
| A new hypermarket | operator and address being checked |
Lien Khuong closed on 4 March 2026 for a full rebuild of its 3,250-metre runway and taxiways — over a thousand billion dong of work. The rebuilt runway takes wide-body Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 aircraft, so international flights are technically possible. Only domestic routes have been announced so far, though: you still cannot buy a ticket from Seoul or Bangkok straight into Da Lat.
- The trip from Ho Chi Minh City drops from 6–8 hours to a one-hour flight
- Weekend trips come back, and with them demand for short-term stays
- The works have slipped before: check the date again before booking
- No international schedule is published; the HCMC connection stays
The Dau Giay — Lien Khuong expressway is split into four sections: Dau Giay — Tan Phu (60 km), Tan Phu — Bao Loc (67 km), Bao Loc — Lien Khuong (74 km) and Lien Khuong — Prenn (19 km). The last one is already open — it is the stretch you drive from the airport into town. Work on the first resumed in April 2026. The ministry's plan is substantial completion in 2026 and traffic from 2027.
- Ho Chi Minh City becomes a day trip rather than an overnight expedition
- It takes the load off the QL20 mountain road, today both jammed and dangerous
- Two of the four sections are still choosing investors, so 2027 is not guaranteed
- Property prices along the route rise long before the road exists
What follows from those two
None of these have confirmed dates yet — we keep them on the list and add the date as soon as a primary source publishes one.
- An international school. The city has no accredited international school today — the nearest are in Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang. Of what has been announced, Maple Bear is the one we know of: a Canadian programme whose preschool level already runs here.
- Big-box retail. Alongside the existing GO! and WinMart, another hypermarket has been mentioned; we are still checking the operator and the address.
- Hotels and apartments. Restored air links pull construction for rent along with them — that is the first thing to react to an airport reopening.
- Long-term rents. So far at 2025 levels: a whole house in Lam Vien went for 22M ₫ a month on a contract signed in May 2026. That is the number we will watch.
Airport dates come from the ACV operator and Lam Dong provincial media (August 2026). Expressway dates come from ministry materials and government press (2026). The school and hypermarket items are marked as being checked until a primary source publishes a date.
Options and prices
Read next
Utilities in Da Lat: what it actually comes to → Internet in Da Lat in 2026: real speeds, prices and what breaks → When to go to Da Lat: what blooms when, and when the city is full →Reader notes
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