Shanghai Pudong International Airport, in Shanghai, China.

What is the difference between PVG and ZSPD?

PVG is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. ZSPD is the ICAO code, used operationally by pilots and air traffic control, and assigned geographically by region.

Is PVG the same as SHA?

No. SHA is hongqiao, Shanghai's other airport, closer in and mostly domestic. SHA also serves as the city code.

What airport is PVG?

PVG is

Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Shanghai, China

Why the code is PVG

Pu dong, with a V standing in for the U.

This is the explanation in general circulation and it is very likely right, but no primary document has been published that settles it. Treated as an account rather than a fact.

The airport

IATA code: PVG
ICAO code: ZSPD
Airport: Shanghai Pudong International Airport
City: Shanghai, China
Opened: 1999
Code origin: The usual account, unverified

Pudong is connected to the city by the Shanghai maglev, which reaches 431 km/h on a seven-minute run and is the fastest commercial train service in the world. It stops short of the city centre, so most passengers still change to the metro.

Codes people book by mistake

Code	What it actually is
SHA	Hongqiao, Shanghai's other airport, closer in and mostly domestic. SHA also serves as the city code.

The other code, ZSPD

Every airport has two codes. The three-letter IATA code, PVG, is the one on your boarding pass and your luggage tag, and it is assigned for commercial use. The four-letter ICAO code, ZSPD, is the one pilots and controllers use, and it is assigned geographically: the first letter or two identify the region, so every airport in the same part of the world shares a prefix. That is why ZSPD looks nothing like PVG.

Common questions

What airport is PVG?: Shanghai Pudong International Airport, in Shanghai, China.
Why is Shanghai's airport called PVG?: Pu dong, with a V standing in for the U.
What is the difference between PVG and ZSPD?: PVG is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. ZSPD is the ICAO code, used operationally by pilots and air traffic control, and assigned geographically by region.
Is PVG the same as SHA?: No. SHA is hongqiao, Shanghai's other airport, closer in and mostly domestic. SHA also serves as the city code.

China Capital, area, population and currency
The flag of China Colours, symbols and lookalikes
Airport codes in China 3 here
What airport is PEK? Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing
What airport is PKX? Beijing Daxing International Airport, Beijing

Sources

OurAirports — OurAirports (Public domain)

How these figures are compiled and checked