Beginning the journey to create a Northern aviation gateway, a passenger and cargo transit center and an MRO facility for the Asia- Pacific region
On November 8, 2025, the presentation round of the Gia Binh International Airport Passenger Terminal Architecture Design Competition (Gia Binh Airport) officially took place at Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi with the participation of three leading architectural firms in the world : Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) - USA, Nikken Sekkei Ltd. - Japan, and Gensler - USA. These three units are all prestigious names behind the terminal designs of the world's leading 5-star Skytrax airports, typically Incheon (Korea), Haneda (Japan) and Changi (Singapore).
The competition is organized in the form of an international competition with the aim of selecting a suitable design for the Passenger Terminal - Gia Binh International Airport, with a direct presentation process, independent evaluation, secret ballot, transparent announcement, ensuring compliance with current legal regulations and professional principles in the fields of architecture, planning and construction.
The presentation round was judged by a panel of judges comprising leading national and international experts from the fields of architecture, planning, aviation and infrastructure development, such as Prof. Richard De Neufville (MIT, USA), Architect Moshe Safdie (Safdie Architects) - author of Marina Bay Sands and Jewel Changi Airport, Architect Cristiano Ceccato de Sabata (Zaha Hadid Architects), Architect Laurence Liauw (SPADA, Hong Kong) and Mr. Trevor Carnahoff (Jacobs, Australia).
In addition to international experts, the council also had the participation of representatives from the Ministry of Public Security , the Ministry of Construction, the Department of Construction of Bac Ninh province and the leaders of Masterise Group, ensuring that the competition fully complies with the regulations, laws and international professional principles in the fields of architecture, planning and infrastructure development.
Passenger terminal architectural design - a combination of Vietnamese identity and international standards
In the focused, professional atmosphere of the presentation round, the three participating units all brought their own unique ideas, demonstrating their investment in research, assessment of the current status of the region and long-term orientation of the Vietnamese aviation industry.
Pursuing the new generation "smart - green - sustainable" model, meeting the task of socio-economic development, the passenger terminal design proposals all take Vietnamese culture and landscape as the creative foundation, people as the center - optimizing passenger experience, while ensuring feasibility and sustainability in long-term operation.
Many outstanding ideas are highly appreciated by experts, such as the system of collecting and reusing rainwater, optimizing natural lighting through skylights, natural ventilation at night, or the use of environmentally friendly materials with low carbon emissions such as wood and terracotta, and the integrated solar battery system on the station roof.
These solutions demonstrate the passion and creativity of three international teams in participating in creating a comprehensive integrated airport – where architecture, engineering and passenger experience are harmoniously connected under the same vision of sustainable development. Each idea aims to honor Vietnamese identity, while at the same time shaping a new standard for a green, smart and efficient airport model.
Mr. Jordan Pierce, Senior Architect of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) - the unit participating in the competition, shared: “From the very beginning of the research, we wanted to create a project that could touch the emotions of all Vietnamese people, inspired by the natural landscape of the country. Especially the water element - a symbol of culture and national spirit, was developed into the idea of "Station of aquatic gardens", where every passenger's journey is associated with the experience of nature and Vietnamese identity."
The competition proposals were evaluated by the Jury based on a comprehensive system of criteria, including feasibility, creativity and sustainability, and the harmony between cultural identity and functional and aesthetic elements. The proposals must also meet international standards for modern airport design and operation. The selection process is conducted objectively, with independent analysis and direct professional dialogue between the parties, ensuring transparency and quality in each decision.
Mr. Laurence Liauw, Managing Director of Sparta (Hong Kong) - Vice Chairman of the Jury, commented: “This is the right time for Hanoi to develop a new airport - a project of strategic significance, contributing to expanding Vietnam's position on the global tourism and aviation map. During the judging process, the Jury thoroughly discussed each option, evaluating criteria from technical value, conceptual vision to suitability with the Vietnamese cultural context. The most important principle is to optimize the passenger experience, so that everyone arriving or departing from Gia Binh International Airport has the best experience.”
Gia Binh International Airport - Vietnam's new symbol of strength on the international map
As the northern aviation gateway, a passenger and cargo transit center and an MRO facility for the Asia-Pacific region, Gia Binh International Airport contributes to creating growth momentum for the capital region, the Northern key economic region and enhancing national competitiveness in logistics, high-tech industry, and large-scale trade and services, creating a long-term development foundation in Vietnam's growth strategy.
Planned according to the 4F technical standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and aiming to achieve Skytrax 5-star service standards in operation, Gia Binh International Airport is a key national infrastructure project with strategic significance in terms of economy, security - defense and foreign affairs. With an expected scale of 30 million passengers and 1.6 million tons of cargo/year by 2030, expanding to 50 million passengers and 2.5 million tons of cargo/year by 2050, the project is expected to be on par with leading regional aviation centers such as Changi (Singapore), Incheon (Korea) or Suvarnabhumi (Thailand). This will be the new trading center of Vietnam, where advanced operating standards, a synchronous service ecosystem and strong global connectivity converge, affirming Vietnam's position on the international aviation map.
In addition to technical and functional goals, Gia Binh International Airport is also a symbol of infrastructure development associated with green - smart - sustainable criteria. From space planning, construction materials to operating technology, the project focuses on sustainability, energy saving, environmental protection and optimizing user experience.
The Gia Binh International Airport Passenger Terminal Architectural Design Competition was organized on an international scale, with serious investment and professional process, demonstrating the stature and strategic significance of the project as well as the strong commitment of Masterise Group in mobilizing maximum resources, intelligence and international technology to contribute to the development of national strategic infrastructure in a sustainable, standardized and rich Vietnamese identity direction.
The Jury of the Gia Binh International Airport Passenger Terminal Architecture Competition includes international experts:
- Prof. Richard De Neufville - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, USA), Chairman of the Jury
- Architect Moshe Safdie - Architect, Urban Planner at Safdie Architects
- Architect Cristiano Ceccato de Sabata - Director of Zaha Hadid Architects (UK)
- Architect Laurence Liauw - Executive Director of SPADA (Hong Kong), Visiting Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture, University of Hong Kong
Mr. Trevor Carnahoff - Program Director & Market Solutions Leader, Asia, Jacobs
Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/ba-ong-lon-kien-truc-toan-cau-gop-mat-tai-cuoc-thi-thiet-ke-nha-ga-hanh-khach-cang-hang-khong-quoc-te-gia-binh-10395895.html
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