Travel time from the airport to downtown Hanoi significantly reduced

Even for Hanoi natives, the ride from Noi Bai international airport back into town is a painfully long and often jam-packed one. For many jet-lagging visitors, the ride further wears on the excitement of arriving in mystical thousand-year-old Hanoi. That is about to change.

On August 1st, 2011, the highway project that links the airport to Nhat Tan bridge - one that takes travelers straight onto the shore of famous West lake, has been commenced. The new road will significantly lift the stress on the current Thang Long - Noi Bai highway and gives drivers choices of where to make a grand entrance into town.

Even though not offering much shorter distance compared to the existing one, the new project will do well in sharing the workload and thus speed up the time it takes for cars and buses to reach town. After 30 months of construction time, travelers will sure appreciate the much asked-for-investment's pay off.

The project is also seen as a move to relocate some part of Hanoi's urban population to the north, as Nhat Tan bridge's completion will make access to town much easier. It is expected to boost economic growth in the northern provinces as well. Total funding for the new highway reaches 4,945 billion VND, with one part being Official Development Assistance from the Japanese government.