The Airports Corporation of Vietnam said the airport would close from March 4 to August 25 to facilitate construction.
Located in Duc Trong District, the airport handled nearly 77,800 flights between 2020 and 2025, serving more than 12 million passengers and 32,700 tonnes of cargo. Annual passenger numbers once approached three million, exceeding its designed capacity.
The project will overhaul the runway, taxiways and related safety infrastructure. The 3,255-metre by 45-metre runway 09-29 will be fully resurfaced, replacing asphalt with cement concrete.
Taxiways E1, E2 and the 910-metre parallel taxiway will also be upgraded. Safety improvements include expanding the runway end safety area to 140 by 90 metres, upgrading turning pads and installing a 100 by 60-metre arresting system.
Additional works include reinforcing more than 1.7 kilometres of retaining walls, improving drainage and upgrading airfield lighting and power supply systems.
Once completed, the airport is expected to support expansion to a capacity of five million passengers a year by 2030 and seven million by 2050.
The corporation said the upgrades would also pave the way for a future elevation to ICAO category 4E, enabling the airport to handle wide-body aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.
Lam Dong authorities said the expansion was necessary as travel demand continues to rise. During the closure, passengers travelling to Dalat can use nearby airports including Tan Son Nhat, Cam Ranh and Buon Ma Thuot, with onward road connections.
Local officials have urged contractors to accelerate work to ensure the project meets or exceeds its schedule and to allow operations to resume as soon as possible.