Vietnamese hands lift the 'steel lotus petals' of Long Thanh.

Few people know that during the construction of the Long Thanh airport terminal, at one point, more than 5,300 tons of steel for the central roof were suspended in mid-air, not yet touching the ground or attached to the top of the columns, when they were hit by aftershocks from an earthquake.

Illustrative image

While engineers were meticulously monitoring technical specifications, aftershocks from the Malaysian earthquake reached the construction site. This unexpected situation became a harsh test of the precision and technological expertise of the Vietnamese workers.

Lifting 5,300 tons of steel into the air.

Amidst the dusty, sun-drenched red basalt soil, the "steel lotus petal"—the overall image of Long Thanh Airport—is gradually taking shape. After more than 1,800 days of construction, the outline of one of Asia's world-class airports has become clearly evident through three safe technical landings on December 19th.

To reach that "lotus flower," countless people must navigate the rhythmic flow of a massive construction site. There are no grand entrance gates or spacious pathways like in the renderings. Instead, there are unfinished internal roads, winding red dirt paths, and an endless stream of trucks.

The road to the passenger terminal is about 6km long, but it takes almost 20 minutes to travel. The road is bumpy, and reddish-brown dust obscures visibility.

The important pillars were erected.

Upon arriving at the "mega-project" during construction, one couldn't clearly see the completed architectural structures; instead, the most powerful sensation was the overwhelming noise of the construction site—the rumbling of machinery, drilling, metal clashing, coordination calls over walkie-talkies, and groups of workers scattered across the site in dozens of different work teams.

Behind the glitz and glamour of tens of trillions of dong or the overwhelming scale of the projects lie intense technical "battles of wits," where the line between success and failure is sometimes just a few millimeters apart.

Mr. Hoang Thai Son, the project manager of Ricons (a member of the Vietur consortium - package 5.10 for the construction and installation of passenger terminal equipment), still couldn't hide his emotion when recalling the construction process of the Long Thanh terminal roof. Because it was there that a moment considered unprecedented in the history of Vietnamese construction took place.

Pointing to the central dome, where workers were working at a height of dozens of meters, Mr. Son said this was the most complex part of the entire project. For the first time, a giant steel roof system was not manually erected component by component at high altitude, but was assembled completely on the ground and then simultaneously lifted to the design position.

The passenger terminal covers an area of ​​nearly 376,000 m², with the central roof being the most challenging part, featuring a main steel structure weighing over 5,300 tons, covering nearly 20,000 m², and boasting a multi-layered, curved shape.

According to Mr. Son, the biggest difference between construction in Long Thanh and typical projects lies in the enormous covered area, the super-long spans, and the multi-directional, variable shape. Engineers had to divide the roof into large modules, assemble them completely under the concrete floor, and then use a hydraulic jacking system to lift the entire "sky structure" to the top of concrete columns over 25 meters high.

"This is a very complex technique, almost the first of its kind implemented in Vietnam. The equipment was provided with support from abroad, but the entire operation, management, and construction organization were handled by Vietnamese engineers," Mr. Son said.

The roof lifting process lasted over two weeks, comprising four main lifting phases, followed by approximately two months of fixed installation. The lifting system utilized 56 specialized hydraulic jacks, each capable of handling loads from 40 to 330 tons, and was controlled synchronously via 3D models and BIM software.

A steel structure has just taken shape.

The biggest challenge came when the entire steel structure, weighing over 5,300 tons, was suspended 25 meters above the ground as aftershocks from an earthquake in Malaysia reached the construction site.

"As soon as we received the information, we immediately checked the entire system. After those tense moments, all components were found to be stable," Mr. Son said.

According to him, the stability of the "steel lotus" is not due to luck. It is part of the initiatives of a group of young Vietnamese engineers who reprogrammed the control system, allowing the 56 hydraulic jacks to automatically compensate for pressure in real time. If the roof is lệch by even 0.5mm, the system will immediately adjust to balance the load.

Normally, hydraulic jacks only perform the task of lifting straight, but at Long Thanh, the curved, wavy roof structure causes the center of gravity of the steel structure to change continuously with each meter of height. If only lifting were done uniformly using traditional methods, the roof structure would certainly be torn apart due to unbalanced load.

Connecting the entire system to a single, unified control "brain" capable of adapting to the situation is considered a groundbreaking technological advancement.

Mr. Son proudly stated that the absolute precision in every connection and every hydraulic stroke proved that Vietnamese engineers have completely mastered one of the world's most complex technologies. At Long Thanh, Vietnamese people are no longer just "supporting characters."

Foreign experts who were initially skeptical had to give a thumbs-up when they witnessed Vietnamese engineers manually operating the hydraulic jacking system and installing the glass curtain wall with millimeter precision.

Construction of the steel lotus petals and glass roof of the airport terminal.

Custom-made glass roofs with "lotus petal" designs.

Alongside the steel roof structure is the Skylight Center, considered the largest skylight system in Vietnam, covering an area of ​​over 11,000m².

According to the construction company, the lotus petal-inspired design means this glass roof system consists of 5,402 triangular panels with 756 different shapes – a number that demands almost absolute precision in both manufacturing and installation.

Long Thanh Airport: The final days of the project's completion.

To ensure both timely completion and technical risk control, the contractor adopted a modular solution: pre-assembled triangular panels were formed into large modules of approximately 23m², weighing 2.5 tons, and were craned onto the roof in a pre-simulated sequence.

On the construction site, the installation teams must use specialized vacuum lifting equipment for glass, with a "hand-like" panel system that attaches using vacuum cups. This equipment allows tilting from 0-90 degrees, rotating 360 degrees, and fine-tuning to the millimeter, helping to position each glass panel precisely. This solution not only reduces the risk of scratches and chipping but also significantly increases installation speed in conditions of strong winds and constant dust.

With a project as large as Long Thanh, even small errors can have significant consequences. Engineers say that controlling the deformation and thermal expansion tolerances of the steel structure and glass system is done using specialized equipment to ensure that when the modules are lifted, the connections achieve a perfect fit with the previously erected frame.

A major airport begins by perfecting the small details.

The complexity of the Skylight glass roof system lies not only in its 756 different profiles but also in the problem of "cumulative error." In construction, errors are unavoidable. But when assembling thousands of glass panels onto a massive steel frame that has already undergone natural deformation due to temperature, a difference of just 1mm per panel can result in a gap of up to half a meter by the final panel.

Instead of waiting for the entire steel structure to be installed before taking measurements—a traditional method that could delay progress by years—Vietnamese engineers have implemented 3D point cloud scanning technology. After each steel roof lift, the entire existing structural surface is laser-scanned, and the data is fed into a computer to create an accurate "digital replica" of the real-world steel frame.

From this replica, the glass panels are custom-ordered to precisely match the actual tolerances of the steel structure. This is the most advanced "tailor-made" approach in the construction industry today, helping to shorten the facade installation time to just one-third of the original estimate.

Engineers and workers had to grapple with the massive steel structures when building Long Thanh Airport.

24/7 to bring the "mega airport" to completion.

A few days before the plane landed on the runway, the investor announced that the entire project had more than 15,000 personnel and 3,000 pieces of equipment, an increase of about 1,000 people compared to the beginning of November 2025.

If the terminal is the heart, then the 4km runway is the "backbone" for the airport's operation. Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Tien, Commander of the joint venture for package 4.6 (ACC Aviation Construction Corporation - Ministry of National Defense ), said that the items must be constructed simultaneously with many other packages, requiring close coordination to avoid disrupting the overall progress.

"Construction work was almost 24/7. At times, there was a shortage of materials, and the contractor proactively stockpiled them, but timely intervention from higher levels and localities was still needed to ensure supply," Mr. Tien said.

Weather is a constant challenge. The rainy season, lasting from June to November, forces many roadbed construction projects to be temporarily suspended as required by technical standards. Construction resumes immediately after the rain stops to make up for lost time.

From a management perspective, Mr. Duong Quang Dien, Deputy Director of the Long Thanh International Airport Project Management Board, stated that the construction of runway number 1 alone has been completed approximately three months ahead of schedule. This project commenced on August 31, 2023, and was expected to be completed in July 2025, but was finished before April 30.

"The shortened timeline means that many items have to be done in parallel - from construction and electromechanical installation to ordering and bringing aviation equipment from abroad on time," Mr. Dien said, adding that the lighting system, aviation equipment lights, and navigation station were invested in synchronously and manufactured according to the project's specific configuration. By mid-December 2025, the entire infrastructure will be completed and have undergone technical calibration flights, making it ready for technical flights.

For many Vietnamese engineers, the Long Thanh International Airport construction site is not just a massive construction site, but a 24/7 race against time, filled with memories of stress and joy, where they can test their abilities, "grow," and thrive alongside the project.

The "battle" against red dust.

Besides roofs and glass, the Long Thanh construction site also faces a very unique challenge: red basalt dust. This fine, powder-like dust can penetrate every crevice, posing a particular danger to million-dollar aviation electronic equipment, causing damage even before the equipment is put into operation.

While international procedures typically require an absolutely clean environment before equipment can be installed, Vietnamese engineers have set up "mobile cleanrooms" right in the middle of the construction site.

Instead of passive shielding, the engineers enclosed the installation area and used pumps to continuously draw filtered air inside, creating positive pressure.

A constant stream of clean air flows from the inside out through the gaps, pushing back any red dust particles attempting to enter. These "air bubbles" move in sync with the installation process, helping to protect conveyor systems, scanning machines, and other equipment.

Surprise regarding "the biggest worry"

Among the numerous tasks on the construction site, cleaning the runway, seemingly simple, was the most worrying for the site manager. The runway, over 4km long, was located in an open space. "Sand, gravel, crushed stone, concrete dust… even a small amount left behind could get into the aircraft engines, and the consequences are unimaginable," shared Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Tien.

For nearly a month, hundreds of workers were deployed solely to clean the runway surface. The repetitive tasks included sweeping, blowing, watering, vacuuming, and washing the runway, often lasting until 11 pm. Under the scorching sun, workers bent over to remove gravel and broken concrete dust from every small hole. Water tankers were mobilized from Tan Son Nhat, Can Tho , and Cam Ranh airports.

There are days when the job of vacuuming the runway becomes a tiring struggle between man and weather. One vacuum truck driver recounted that after completing a run along the more than 4km runway, he turned around only to find a thin layer of dust already covering the concrete surface, blown by the wind from the surrounding open fields.

On December 15th, Vietnam Airlines conducted its first test flight; by December 19th, three consecutive flights had landed. Before the planes landed, construction work near the runway had to be temporarily halted, and water was continuously sprayed to reduce dust. "The worst thing is the wind," Mr. Tien said, because even a strong gust of wind could stir up clouds of dust, wiping out hours of hard work.

CONG TRUNG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ban-tay-viet-nang-canh-sen-thep-long-thanh-20260209223055539.htm