Long Thanh Airport, a new symbol of Vietnam's capacity - Part 2: Successful lessons for implementing future mega projects

More than just a transport infrastructure project

The breakthrough idea in the national transport strategy was to build a large-scale modern international airport in the South, aiming to become a regional transit hub, which was officially included in the national transport planning in 1995. That was the first milestone for today's Long Thanh airport, a super project with the largest scale, investment level, and stature in the history of Vietnam's infrastructure.

When Tan Son Nhat Airport began to overload and was difficult to expand, Long Thanh with flat terrain, large land fund, located in the center of the Southern key economic region, was considered for selection. In 2005, the Government directed the completion of the pre-feasibility report. In 2015, the 13th National Assembly approved the investment policy. In November 2020, the Prime Minister officially approved the first phase of the project, with a total capital of nearly 110,000 billion VND.

Workers at Long Thanh construction site.

Idea of ​​Long Thanh Airport Development Coordination Board

Long Thanh not only changes the regional traffic situation, but also contributes to restructuring the entire development space of the Southeast region. From its central position in the integrated infrastructure network, Long Thanh is shaping a new growth axis, where for the first time the economy, services and urban areas converge with the highest level of regional connectivity ever.

However, to realize this, it requires innovation in regional reorganization, from decentralized to integrated coordination, from spread-out investment to backward-looking and spillover options.

The reorganization of administrative units towards consolidation and integrated planning is creating the premise for the formation of a megacity revolving around Long Thanh. Therefore, many experts have proposed the need to establish a Coordination Board for the development of the Long Thanh airport area under the Government, with the authority to allocate capital, remove overlapping planning and accelerate synchronous traffic, urban and logistics projects within a 50km radius around the airport. The development of the space around Long Thanh will have a chain reaction on urban planning, population distribution, public transport systems and social infrastructure.

When completed, the airport will have 4 runways, 4 terminals, a capacity of 100 million passengers and 5 million tons of cargo/year, which will be a lever for growth, helping Vietnam become a regional air transit hub.

During the inspection in March 2025, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized: “Long Thanh is not only a transport infrastructure project, but also a symbol of Vietnam's vision of sustainable development, integration capacity and strong aspiration to rise on the international economic and aviation map.”

Contributing to the realization of the national transport strategy, in the area around Long Thanh airport, the provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Long An... have also accelerated the implementation of urban planning for airports, free trade zones, logistics centers, and high-tech industrial chains.

Neighboring localities have integrated planning with Long Thanh, gradually forming a modern integrated urban region; demonstrating a vision of approaching global trends, in which the airport is not only a destination but also a center for generating added value. Long Thanh is established as the driving force for regional development, playing a role in activating a chain of satellite cities and industrial, service and high-tech economic corridors along connecting highways such as Bien Hoa - Vung Tau, Ring Road 3, Ring Road 4 and Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway, forming a new regional planning.

In the context of Vietnam promoting regional economic thinking and shifting to a growth model based on innovation, Long Thanh plays a role as a driving force and lever. Long Thanh - Cai Mep Ha - Can Gio becomes the triangle of the Southeast region, creating momentum for the inter-regional - linked - inter-industry supply chain. At the intersection of many highways, railways and seaports, Long Thanh becomes a regional logistics center with the ability to build a closed supply chain right in Vietnam, reducing dependence on foreign transit points.

Faced with this change, a series of large enterprises such as Amata, VSIP, Sonadezi, Becamex… have also seized the opportunity when planning to expand satellite industrial parks, ecological urban areas, and aviation logistics centers. The shift in highly skilled human resources, the formation of training centers, regional hospitals, and the increase in FDI capital have also been clearly seen.

Demonstrating the effectiveness of institutional reform

The Long Thanh airport project is also a testament to the effectiveness of institutional reform and multi-sectoral, multi-level coordination in managing large-scale infrastructure development. With more than 20 ministries, sectors and localities involved, the project has applied many specific mechanisms; shortened the appraisal process; increased decentralization; established a regional coordination role for Dong Nai in site clearance, resettlement, and preparation for investment in technical infrastructure outside the fence.

A road connecting the airport is being urgently completed. (Photo in article: Duy Khuong)

The Long Thanh airport construction site is where the leaders of the Party, State and Government have repeatedly visited, encouraged, urged and determined that the target must be basically completed by December 31, 2025 at the latest. If the progress is not guaranteed, the personnel will be replaced. At the same time, when the airport is completed, the connecting traffic projects must also be completed.

Building airports and investing in connecting infrastructure

According to transport experts, along with airport construction, investment in connecting infrastructure is also extremely important, not only to serve the airport but also to create conditions for the development of nearby urban, industrial and logistics chains. Within a radius of 30 - 50km from the airport, dozens of industrial parks, seaports and satellite cities are being formed, requiring a transport system that is not only fast but also smart and integrated.

To reduce pressure on intersections that are expected to increase dramatically when the expressway and airport are put into operation, the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee has proposed investing in the construction of a 5.5km elevated road along National Highway 51 with an investment capital of more than VND12,800 billion under the PPP form. At the same time, the locality has proposed that the Ministry of Construction speed up the expansion of National Highway 1A, provincial roads 25B and 25C, and consider extending metro line 1 to Long Thanh airport.

The Government has also assigned specific tasks to each ministry and sector in Decision No. 692/QD-TTg. Accordingly, Dong Nai is the focal point for implementing projects such as the aviation industrial park, fuel pipeline system, and airline operations center. The Ministry of Construction is in charge of selecting investors for the maintenance area and cargo terminal, while ACV Corporation focuses on building technical infrastructure, passenger terminals, and warehouses 1 to 4.

The workload is huge and difficult; but certainly successful with strong leadership, special mechanisms and special determination. At present, April 2025, the joint venture contractor has completed the lifting of the steel structure system of the central station roof with a total weight of more than 5,300 tons, assembled from 256 connection points according to strict European technical standards. The curved dome has an area of ​​nearly 20,000m², with a span of up to 41m, requiring highly precise and synchronous structural lifting techniques. One of the complex and decisive items in the entire project has been completed, making us even more happy and confident that the day of reaping the "sweet fruit" is very close.

In an era where national competition is no longer limited to individual infrastructure or human resources, but is a synthesis of institutions, space, technology, and people; Long Thanh airport has become a symbol of convergence of the above factors. This is a project with strong spreading ability, creating a resonance effect between the center and satellites, between core and border areas, between the central and local levels.

Looking from Long Thanh, the development story of the Southeast region is entering a period of fundamental transformation, not only in terms of physical space, but also in terms of organizational models, governance and investment attraction strategies. Institutional synchronization, infrastructure planning, and high-quality human resources are three inseparable pillars, and Long Thanh airport is the starting point of that connection journey.

The successful lessons from Long Thanh will be the foundation for Vietnam to boldly implement the next mega projects in aviation infrastructure, seaports, high-speed railways and special economic zones. These are the foundations for Vietnam to increasingly grow in scale and quality of development, achieving the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045.

Expected to be operational from early 2026

Long Thanh International Airport is built on a scale of 5,000 hectares, with a capacity of 100 million passengers/year and 5 million tons of cargo/year. Phase 1, with a capacity of 25 million passengers/year and 1.2 million tons of cargo/year, is expected to be basically completed by the end of 2025.

In phase 2, the airport will build an additional open-configuration runway and terminal to reach a capacity of 50 million passengers/year. Phase 3 will complete the remaining items so that the airport can reach a capacity of 100 million passengers/year.

According to the adjusted schedule, Long Thanh airport phase 1 will be completed and put into operation by the end of 2026. However, the Prime Minister has requested to shorten the schedule, basically completing the project by the end of 2025 and putting it into operation in the first half of 2026, 6 months earlier.

(To be continued)

Duy Khuong

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/san-bay-long-thanh-bieu-tuong-moi-cua-nang-luc-viet-nam-bai-2-bai-hoc-thanh-cong-de-trien-khai-nhung-sieu-du-an-trong-tuong-lai-post546156.html