Gia Lam Airport Gia Lam Airport ( ) is one of two major airports in Hanoi , Vietnam , located in Gia Lâm District , on the eastern bank of the Red River . It is primarily a military field , used by the Vietnam People ' s Air Force ( VPAF ) , with MiG - 21 fighters and Kamov Ka - 28 helicopters stored in revetment s . The airfield was inaugurated in 1936 , before the Japanese occupation of French Indochina . The airport is currently used for military training activities , as well as for chartered helicopter taxi flights for tourists visiting nearby attractions such as Ha Long Bay . According to official sources , however , the airport is slated to become a fully functional civilian airport by 2015 , serving regional flights to and from locations throughout Northern Vietnam . History . Gia Lam Airfield ( was built in 1936 , according to an urban plan laid out by French architect Ernest Hébrard over a decade earlier . Hébrard was hired by the city of Hanoi ' s Urban Planning and Architecture Services department in 1923 to supervise a number of urban renewal projects , including a new industrial area in Gia Lâm District , on the eastern bank of the Red River . Hébrard ' s plan for Gia Lam included a renovated railway station , along with space for factories , industrial establishments , and the new airfield . Upon its completion , it was one of two major airfields in the Hanoi area , the other being the ( now - disused ) Bach Mai Airfield . The airfield itself was constructed according to a design by French architect Félix Godard . On September 26 , 1940 , as part of the Invasion of French Indochina , Japanese forces took possession of the airfield , maintaining control throughout World War II , until their surrender to the Việt Minh during the August Revolution . Soon afterwards , the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was proclaimed , with Việt Minh leader Hồ Chí Minh as head of government . France initially accepted the new government , but this position changed when negotiations about the future of Vietnam as a state within the French Union collapsed . Guerrilla fighting began between Việt Minh fighters and the French , and on December 19 , 1946 , in response to attacks on French installations in and around Hanoi , French troops re - occupied the airfield . This incident is considered to be the beginning of the First Indochina War . Gia Lam and Bach Mai later became the two major logistics bases supporting French operations at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu . After their defeat at Dien Bien Phu , French forces surrendered the airfield to the Viet Minh . Gia Lam airfield was thereafter nationalized and used by the VPAF as their main airbase in the Hanoi area . During the Second Indochina War , the American Joint Chiefs of Staff placed Gia Lam on a list of 94 recommended bombing targets in North Vietnam , identifying it as a major airbase and as a storage location for petroleum , oil and lubricants ( POL ) . All North Vietnamese airfields were removed from the USAF ' s " restricted target " list in April 1967 , and Gia Lam was one of six deemed suitable for fast jet operations . As a result , it sustained heavy damage as part of Operation Rolling Thunder , suffering repeated bomber attacks . Following the cease - fire mandated by the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973 , Gia Lam was the site of Operation Homecoming , a series of diplomatic negotiations that made possible the return of a number of American POW s held by the North Vietnamese . The first repatriation , effected by the United States Air Force ' s Military Airlift Command , happened on February 12 , 1973 , when C - 141 s of the 63d Military Airlift Wing , flying from Clark Air Base in the Philippines , flew to Gia Lam and returned with a total of 116 former POWs . The first C - 141 to return came to be known as the " Hanoi Taxi " , named after the writing on the flight engineer ' s panel by the POWs aboard the plane for the freedom flight . Arizona Senator John McCain was one of the POW s who flew home from Gia Lam on the " Hanoi Taxi " . From February 12 to April 4 , there were 54 C - 141 missions flying out of Hanoi , bringing the former POWs home . Facilities . At one time , the headquarters of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines were located at Gia Lam Airport . The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam currently has its headquarters at Gia Lam , along with a number of national aviation - related enterprises . Incidents and accidents . On April 8 , 2008 , a Soviet - built Antonov An - 26 turboprop aircraft on a training mission crashed into a field in Thanh Trì District , in the outskirts of Hanoi , killing five Vietnamese military pilots . The plane took off from Gia Lam Airport , and crashed on its way back . The cause of the accident was unknown . A Vietnamese military official who declined to be named said the plane belonged to Vietnam ' s 918 Air Transport Regiment . Upcoming renovations . Because of its proximity to the center of Hanoi compared to Noi Bai International Airport , part of Gia Lam Airport is expected to become a civilian airport in 2015 , reserved for regional domestic airlines . This would allow passengers flying on short - haul flights , such as from Hanoi to Điện Biên , Vinh , or Nà Sản Airport in the northern province of Sơn La , to depart from Gia Lam airport , only 10 minutes away from the centre of Hanoi , rather than Noi Bai airport , which is located about an hour ' s drive away from the city . The airport would retain military uses . Gia Lam ' s 2000 m by 45 m runway is suitable for small , short - haul aircraft such as ATR 72 twin - turboprops or Fokker 70 jets , which are already operated by Vietnam Airlines as part of their fleet . Under the approved development plan , the parking yard will be upgraded to receive three ATR 72 or Fokker 70 aircraft by 2015 , increasing to five by 2025 . Its annual capacity is projected to be 162 , 000 passengers in 2015 , increasing further to 300 , 000 passengers by 2025 . The airport will be about the same size as Na San and Dien Bien airports , and will not be able to receive larger Airbus or Boeing aircraft , which will continue to be received at Noi Bai . The renovations , which would allow the airport to meet the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation , are estimated to cost VND 287 billion ( USD $ 17 . 3 million ) . These include : building a new parking yard covering in 2015 and by 2025 ; building the new terminal , which is expected to serve 270 passengers an hour during peak hours ; and other adjustments such as the expansion of Nguyen Son road , which is the main route into the airport from the city . The renovated airport would be managed by the Northern Airport Administration .