Airport photos: essay on urban, beach resort and mountain retreat investment property developments in Vietnam.

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Photographs of Tan Son Nhat (Nhat)
Copyright © 1998-2008 Vietnam Venture Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Updated April 5, 2008

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Scroll Down to see 26 photos of the renovated International Port of Arrivals and Departures. As the renovations are a work in progress, so is this page.

For other things to look at in Vietnam:

Check out commercial high and low-rise construction in downtown Saigon.
Consider some partially completed and completely stalled urban sites for investment.
Consider an investment trip to the beach as you visit the Cua Lap Resort Project.
Or perhaps you prefer a hike in the mountains as you visit the People of the Highlands and then see examples of their unique and endangered woven arts.

1. Flying into Saigon on Vietnam Airlines B-757, or was it an Airbus A-320?	1
2a 2b	2. Deplaning - it's a lot more comfortable now then it was the first time!
3. Looking around the tarmac, there are a few reminders from the time before - bunkers now used to store gardening equipment or just hold air.	3
4	4. Modern Jetways have been installed, but there are now not enough gates to handle all the traffic.
5. New Arrival Hall, often filled with 600+ visitors, was luckily for us relatively empty on this arrival. While some Overseas Vietnamese and other Asians feel a need to insert money into their passport, there is no need -- unless they are arriving or departing illegally. It takes time to get through this line, but have you ever arrived in Seattle or Newark?	5.
6	6. Domestic Arrivals also has a new hall, but this is crowded all the time. Airfares have been adjusted -- up of course -- so that domestic flyers now fly for 2/3 the cost of foreigners. Watch out for taxi touts.
7. Exiting from Customs (where no money need be paid but is more often still paid by a few), the crowds are excited, holding signs, pushing and looking, always smiling when their associates or family members are recognized. Taxi touts are a pain, but have you recently been to JFK or Bangkok?	7
8	8. Major renovations will include new terminals and complete separation of domestic and international operations. In the left back ground across the parking lot can be seen some of the new cargo buildings. SASCO office construction is in the background.
9. A reader asked if we'd seen his old office building. It's now the Admin Building for the Airport.	9
10a 10b	10. Continuing our panorama to the main building, this is now exclusively for International flights. These photos were taken during the monsoons, so between dodging rain drops and the bustle of the crowed...
11. It is a wonder we got these at all and sincerely hope the authorities realize they are presented for purposes of nostalgia alone!	11a 11b
12	12. Behind the wall is the on-going renovation of the domestic side of the airport. This ends the current tour, but ....
13. Leaving TSN is a grand experience, far, far different from the first time. In fact, we could be in any city from the looks of the departure lounge. Only trouble is, there are no book stores or stands to purchase edible snacks!	13.
14	14. The former home of Commanding General of the Air Force, and in the end, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky. It's now a guest house for the Ministry of Defense. The guard's presence suggested to our local agent that it would be best to take this shot on the run. As a result, the shutter speed of his digital camera was not fast enough to match the bumps along the road, or perhaps his nerves. We will try to do better the next time.
15. Taken from Truong Son street, the former Ky house is seen peeking out from between the DHL office and warehouse.	15
16a 16b	16. There’s a small paved road behind the house. A long, yellow-orange wall runs around the house. Painted pink, but for the encroachment of many lesser buildings, the house retains its former, original, imposing presence in the area.
17. One side of the house is lot of about 500 sq meters, as yet undeveloped and allowed to grow wild.	17
18	18. In the foreground is a representative office, with the roof tiles of the former Ky home seen in the extreme background. Neighboring homes that now crowd around the former Ky house are themselves very beautiful.
19. Under construction, along Truong Son street is the administration Building of the SASCO state monopoly providing food and shopping services, and owns two taxi companies that serve the airport as well	19a 19b
20a 20b	20. The former USAF PX became the local canteen and is now being rebuilt.