Nonstop flight route between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport (SGN), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,741 miles (or 9,239 kilometers).

A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the large distance between Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport and King Shaka International, the route shown on this map most likely appears curved because of this reason.

Try it at home! Get a globe and tightly lay a string between Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport and King Shaka International. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport (SGN):

• The Prime Minister of Vietnam, by Decision 1646/TTg-NN, has approved the addition of 30 hectares of adjacent area to extend the apron and to build a cargo terminal to handle the rapid increase of passenger and cargo volume at the airport.
• The furthest airport from Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport (SGN) is Jauja AirportFrancisco Carle Airport (JAU), which is nearly antipodal to Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport (meaning Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Jauja AirportFrancisco Carle Airport), and is located 12,278 miles (19,760 kilometers) away in Jauja, Peru.
• The closest airport to Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport (SGN) is Vung Tau Airport (VTG), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) SE of SGN.
• Because of Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport's relatively low elevation of 33 feet, planes can take off or land at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
• Tan Son Nhat International Airport served 12.4 million passengers in 2008, compared to 11 million in 2007 and 15.5 million passenger in 2010.
• In addition to being known as "Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport", another name for SGN is "Sân bay Quốc tế Tân Sơn Nhất".
• Domestic flights operate from Terminal 1, whilst international flights use Terminal 2.
• Following a recent decision by the Vietnamese Prime Minister, a new airport—Long Thanh International Airport—will replace Tan Son Nhat airport for international departure use.
• Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport (SGN) has 2 runways.

Facts about King Shaka International (DUR):

• The largest aircraft KSIA currently has scheduled services for is the Boeing 777-300ER, with Emirates operating Dubai–Durban, despite the fact that KSIA's runway length and terminal were designed to theoretically handle regular large airliners.
• Although the larger airport was built to grow the area's international services, it is also a key airport for domestic services throughout South Africa, serving the "Golden Triangle" between Cape Town International Airport, OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, and KSIA itself with 7 airlines.
• Mount Moreland, a small community located 2.6 km south of the airport, is an important roosting site for the European Barn Swallow.
• On 8 December 2009, it was reported that "King Shaka International Airport" was indeed the most popular name for the new airport.
• The project was revived in the late 1990s when the limitations of Durban International Airport became apparent.
• The furthest airport from King Shaka International (DUR) is Hana Airport (HNM), which is located 11,682 miles (18,801 kilometers) away in Hana, Hawaii, United States.
• The closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
• Because of King Shaka International's relatively low elevation of 295 feet, planes can take off or land at King Shaka International at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
• King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
• The cargo terminal will form one component of the Dube TradePort's TradeZone Precinct, which will additionally be home to trade and logistics warehousing as well as cargo and light industry activities that require quick access to air cargo services, and will cover an area of 36 hectares.