Developing the Long Thanh Airport urban area will create new impetus for development.

In the course of the country's development, there are projects that not only possess economic and technical value but also historical significance, marking turning points for both the region and the nation.

General Secretary To Lam holds discussions with representatives of the construction units of the Long Thanh International Airport Project. Photo: CTV.

Creating new growth drivers

According to Professor Vo Xuan Vinh, Director of the Institute of Business Research, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics , Dong Nai is rapidly developing thanks to its strategic location in the Southern key economic region, playing a crucial role as a gateway connecting the Southeast region with the Central Highlands and many other provinces and cities.

Dong Nai possesses a comprehensive transportation network, including roads with major expressways and national highways 1A, 20, and 51; railways; inland waterways; seaports; and air transport, most notably Long Thanh International Airport – a key national project. With a Phase 1 capacity of up to 25 million passengers per year and 1.2 million tons of cargo per year, expected to be operational in 2026, this airport will transform Dong Nai into a leading logistics center and international air trade gateway for Vietnam and the ASEAN region.

To capitalize on the key growth driver from Long Thanh Airport, Dong Nai province is urgently implementing the Long Thanh Airport urban planning and free trade zone. The formation of Long Thanh Airport and these projects in the near future will create a strong synergy to quickly position Long Thanh as a strategic driving force for the socio-economic development of the country, a new nucleus of the Southern key economic region, and sharing the infrastructure and population pressure with Ho Chi Minh City.

This is not just an expectation, but also a "political imperative," requiring Dong Nai province to be more proactive, decisive, and creative in realizing the major policies of the Party and the State.

Comrade Truong Thi Huong Binh, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Director of the Department of Finance, stated: The Provincial People's Committee has submitted Proposal No. 222/TTr-UBND, dated December 9, 2025, to the Government requesting the drafting of a National Assembly resolution on piloting some specific mechanisms and policies to establish and develop a free trade zone in Dong Nai with 4 areas within and around Long Thanh Airport, with a total area of ​​approximately 7,444 hectares.

The Dong Nai Free Trade Zone will follow a complex model, encompassing: high-tech industrial production; modern logistics and digital logistics; financial services, trade and services; innovation, information technology, and the digital economy.

This model aims to maximize the advantages of Long Thanh Airport and the existing industrial park system; while also connecting with the Cai Mep Ha Free Trade Zone and the international financial center in Ho Chi Minh City.

When the Dong Nai Free Trade Zone becomes operational, it will contribute to the formation of new key economic sectors, contributing approximately 8-10.5% to the province's GRDP, creating an additional impetus for GRDP growth of 1.5-2.5%, attracting about 150,000 high-quality workers by 2030 and training about 50,000 engineers and technology experts; promoting import and export, increasing the participation rate of domestic enterprises in global supply chains, and increasing budget revenue from land leases and production and business activities within the zone.

The Dong Nai Free Trade Zone project, once realized, will be a new growth engine, linked to Long Thanh Airport, contributing to the transformation of the growth model, improving the quality and competitiveness of Dong Nai province's economy, and making Dong Nai an international industrial, logistics, trade, and service center in the Southern region; creating a foundation for the province's rapid and sustainable development in the period 2026-2035 and beyond.

Currently, Long Thanh Airport is considered a "project of the century," a symbol of Vietnam's aspiration to reach new heights, ushering in a new era of development for the locality and the entire region. The airport's operation is expected to be a "driving force" for economic growth in Dong Nai and the whole country.

Developing solutions to turn aspirations into reality.

Regarding the development of Long Thanh Airport City, the Long Thanh City Master Plan until 2045 is oriented towards developing a modern, multi-functional airport city model, playing a new driving force center for Dong Nai province and the Southeast region. The urban space is harmoniously organized with key functional zones such as: commercial - financial - service zone, aviation logistics zone, high-tech zone, innovation zone, ecological urban area and tourism resort zone.

Based on this, the urban development structure of Long Thanh is established according to three strategic pillars: Long Thanh Airport plays a core role, serving as a center for international air connectivity, logistics, and high value-added service activities; the free trade zone, with a total area of ​​nearly 7,500 hectares, is identified as a growth driver, prioritizing the development of many key industries and sectors such as digital logistics, electronics, precision mechanics, information technology, pharmaceuticals, food processing, and high-quality human resource training; the Long Thanh - Bien Hoa - Nhon Trach - Trang Bom urban quadrilateral is oriented towards development according to a model of smart cities and high-tech industries, playing a role in the development and diffusion of the entire region.

To realize the Party and State's policy of building, developing, and making Long Thanh a "strategic driving force for the socio-economic development of the country, especially for the key economic region of the South," in recent times, the Standing Committee, the Provincial Party Committee, and the Executive Committee of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee have made efforts to research and propose key solutions to maximize the growth momentum from Long Thanh Airport.

One of the proposed solutions is to vigorously implement Decision No. 185/QD-TTg dated February 20, 2024, of the Prime Minister approving the general urban planning task for Long Thanh and Conclusion No. 420-KL/TW dated November 17, 2025, of General Secretary To Lam on the visit and working session with agencies and units at the Long Thanh Airport Project construction site.

Simultaneously, it is proposed that the Central Government issue a specialized resolution on the Airport City model, the Long Thanh Free Trade Zone, and approve several policies related to the Long Thanh Airport Project. Pilot mechanisms in finance, technology, and e-commerce should be implemented, and decentralization and delegation of power to the province should be strengthened to create proactive approaches in organizing this new growth model.

Prioritize investment and development in the fields of semiconductors, artificial intelligence, big data, clean energy, biotechnology, digital industry, and aviation support. Build a chain of linkages between businesses, research institutes/universities, and airport cities.

Priority should be given to completing strategic transportation infrastructure such as expressways, ring roads, railways, and metro lines that directly connect Long Thanh Airport with Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast region.

Implement a comprehensive human resource development strategy, prioritizing high technology, logistics, finance and banking, and aviation. Establish specialized training centers tailored to the needs of a modern airport city. Expand policies to attract international experts, engineers, and personnel. Establish training partnerships with universities and research institutes both domestically and internationally; develop a high-quality education and training system, meeting international standards, in Dong Nai province and neighboring provinces and cities.

In addition, the province will improve mechanisms to attract and mobilize diverse sources of investment capital, strengthen public-private partnerships, and socialize investment in healthcare and education; focus on training high-quality human resources, creating a solid human resource foundation to attract foreign direct investment and high-quality investment into the airport city and key economic sectors...

Phuong Hang

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/daihoidaibieutoanquoclanthuXIVcuaDang/202601/xay-dung-do-thi-san-bay-long-thanh-tao-dong-luc-phat-trien-moi-5eb1939/