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| Rendering of the Phan Thiet Airport Project. |
Deadline pressure
After nearly 10 years of struggling to implement the project without any concrete results, the Phan Thiet Airport Project - the civil aviation component - is facing significant changes.
Accordingly, last weekend, the People's Committee of Lam Dong province sent Official Letter No. 4428/UBND-KTTH to the Ministries of National Defense, Public Security, Construction, and Culture - Sports and Tourism requesting their input in appraising the dossier for the implementation of the Phan Thiet Airport Project - civil aviation component in Mui Ne ward, Lam Dong province.
This serves as the basis for the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee to carry out procedures to submit to the Provincial People's Council for approval the investment policy for the Phan Thiet Airport Project - civil aviation component under the BOT form (expected to be approved in October 2025) and to prepare a dossier requesting approval of the investment policy for this project through a bidding process to select an investor using land.
The military portion, funded by the Ministry of Defence , was completed and put into operation at the end of 2023.
The civil aviation sector includes:
The aircraft parking apron measures 170.5 m x 455 m, accommodating 6 parking positions (2 Code E positions, 4 Code C positions); two taxiways connecting to the apron, measuring 121.5 m x 23 m, with 10.5 m wide shoulders on each side; a 12-story air traffic control tower, 45 m high, with a 90 m2 working cabin; a 3-story operations building with an area of 850 m2; a passenger terminal with an area of approximately 16,000 - 18,000 m2, capable of handling 2 million passengers per year; connecting roads to the airport access roads and functional areas, with widths ranging from 2 to 6 lanes; and several other synchronized technical infrastructure works.
Specifically, the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee requests the Ministry of National Defense to provide feedback on the conditions and requirements stipulated in Decision No. 159/QD-TTg dated July 15, 2025, of the Prime Minister approving the list of dual-use national defense projects at the military airport in Phan Thiet, related to the implementation of the project through a bidding process to select an investor using land; along with any issues within the scope of state management of the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security (if any).
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Construction is requested to provide opinions on the conformity of the objectives, scale, location, and operational requirements of the investment project with national sectoral plans approved by competent authorities, as well as other issues within the Ministry of Construction's state management purview.
In particular, state management agencies in the fields of construction and transportation are also consulted on the conditions and standards to ensure the operation of investment projects; and the requirements for the investor's capacity for airport construction investment projects as stipulated by law.
According to the investment approval proposal, the Phan Thiet Airport Project - civil aviation component, to be implemented in Mui Ne ward, Lam Dong province (formerly Binh Thuan province) - has a capacity to serve civil aviation aircraft of category 4E, ensuring a capacity of 2 million passengers per year by 2030; operating domestic and non-scheduled international flights (if any) to serve the travel needs of residents, tourists, and domestic and foreign investors.
In addition, Phan Thiet Airport has another important mission: serving humanitarian relief and social welfare flights; and acting as a backup airport for Tan Son Nhat and Cam Ranh International Airports when needed in emergency situations.
The project, with a total investment of VND 3,797 billion (excluding land clearance costs), is expected to be implemented in accordance with the Investment Law; the operating period is 50 years from the date the investor is granted land allocation, land lease, or land use conversion.
If approved by the competent authorities, the project could be implemented within 28 months, including investment preparation, investor selection, construction (12 months), and operational acceptance. This timeline is considered very tight, but necessary to bring Phan Thiet Airport into full military and civil aviation operation as soon as possible.
According to the leaders of the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee, after being selected to implement the project, the investor will prepare and submit a feasibility study report along with other legal documents as required, ensuring investment efficiency, feasibility, conformity with planning at all levels, and approval by competent state agencies.
Adding more appeal to the project.
Previously, at the end of August 2025, the People's Committee of Lam Dong province issued Official Letter No. 2709/UBND-XDCT requesting the Prime Minister to allow the termination of the BOT investment model under the PPP Law and chuyển to the investment model under the Investment Law for the Phan Thiet Airport Project - civil aviation component.
It should be added that this project, under the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model, was signed by the People's Committee of Binh Thuan province (now Lam Dong province) with the investor, Rang Dong Joint Stock Company, in 2016, with the goal of constructing a civil aviation facility to the scale of a 3C-class airport, with a capacity of 1 million passengers per year.
According to the aforementioned contract, the project has a construction period of 3 years and a payback period of up to 70 years. However, to date, there has been very little progress on the ground.
The People's Committee of Binh Thuan province and the investor have agreed to terminate the contract prematurely due to numerous obstacles encountered in the BOT implementation, and the payback period being excessively long (70 years according to the initial plan and 47 years according to the revised plan).
Mr. Nguyen Hong Hai, Vice Chairman of the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee, said that converting from the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model to the investment model under the Investment Law will bring many benefits to the Phan Thiet Airport Project - civil aviation component, such as: shortening the time for investment procedures from 8-10 months to 2-5 months; and more flexible capital mobilization capabilities…
Furthermore, if implemented under a BOT contract, after 47 years, the investor must hand over the Phan Thiet Airport Project - the civil aviation component - to the State for operation, exploitation, and use.
"Meanwhile, under the Investment Law, the project's operating period does not exceed 50 years, but based on the province's planning and actual needs, the investor can request an extension or hand over the project to the State for exploitation and use. This helps increase the project's attractiveness in attracting investors," Mr. Nguyen Hong Hai commented.
It is known that the Phan Thiet Airport Project - civil aviation component - is a key transportation infrastructure project with strategic significance for the socio-economic development and national defense and security of Lam Dong province and the region.
"The project's implementation will create momentum to attract investment, promote tourism, services, and trade, expand air transport connections with major domestic and international economic centers; and at the same time, make an important contribution to the formation of a synchronous infrastructure system, enhancing the position and image of the locality," the leaders of Lam Dong province assessed.
Source: https://baodautu.vn/nga-re-moi-cho-du-an-bot--san-bay-phan-thiet-d406183.html
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