Government Announcement: Construction of Long Thanh International Airport Project

The Government Office recently announced that Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has instructed the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Transport to urgently issue a Circular guiding the preparation of bidding documents and the selection of investors to implement Component Project 4, in order to ensure the overall progress of the Long Thanh International Airport Project Phase 1.

In particular, the Ministry of Transport is responsible for selecting the investor for Component Project 4 to comply with the legal provisions and follow the instructions of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Prior to this, the Ministry of Transport had issued Document No. 9664/BGTVT – KHDT dated September 16, 2021, approving the prioritized investment project list for Component Project 4 under the Long Thanh International Airport Construction Project Phase 1.

At the moment, the Minister of Transport has approved the project list in the Decision, including 11 items: Investment and construction project for ground maintenance and aircraft sanitation facilities No. 1, No. 2; In-flight meal supply project on board No. 1, No. 2; Airline Operations Control Center Construction Project No. 1, No. 2, No. 3; Aircraft maintenance facilities construction project No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4.

During the process of selecting the investor for Component Project 4, the Ministry of Transport has directed its agencies and units to closely coordinate with the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam in order to promptly resolve difficulties, obstacles, and expedite the implementation process.

So far, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has prepared, approved, and released the bidding documents for the selection of investors for 8 out of 11 projects.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the Construction Investment Project of Long Thanh International Airport Phase 1 is a national important project in the transportation sector, belonging to the national important construction work category. The Prime Minister has approved the investment, including 4 Component Projects, and assigned the Ministry of Transport to take the lead in selecting the investor for Component Project 4.

Recently, during an on-site visit to the Long Thanh Airport construction site, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang and leaders of Dong Nai province reported directly to the Prime Minister that the land acquisition, compensation, and resettlement for the Long Thanh International Airport had a total investment of VND 22.856 trillion, with Dong Nai province as the investor.

So far, a total area of 4,882/5,000 ha has been acquired, reaching 98.7%, including the handover of Phase 1 land with a total area of 2,532/2,532 ha, reaching 100%. As for the resettlement arrangement, the total number of affected households is 5,647, of which 4,246 households have been approved (4,112 households have been resettled); and it is expected to approve the remaining 320 households by early 2024.

The Phase 1 construction investment project of Long Thanh Airport has a total investment of nearly VND 110 trillion. The project consists of 4 component projects, with Component Project 3 being the essential works within the airport, invested by the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) with a total investment of over VND 99 trillion.

In terms of quality management, the Ministry of Transport, the State Capital Management Committee in enterprises, and the State Inspection Council regularly inspect the site and review the progress, as well as provide specific instructions for project implementation.

After the on-site inspections and reports, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh acknowledged and highly appreciated the progress in the implementation of the project, including the completion of land clearance and basic procedures, the completion of a 4-km-long and 74-meter-wide runway, and the completion of the underground area of the terminal building.

After more than 5 months of construction commencement, the contractors mobilized over 3,200 laborers and nearly 1,300 sets of machinery and equipment for the construction packages. During the Lunar New Year holiday, nearly 800 engineers and workers stayed at the construction site and organized construction activities. Up to now, the public investment disbursement for the construction packages has reached over VND 11.3 trillion.

The Prime Minister emphasized that in 2022, when inspecting the construction site, he criticized the Airports Corporation of Vietnam. However, after 2 years, the Prime Minister acknowledged and praised the efforts of the ministries, agencies, relevant bodies, Dong Nai province, and especially ACV for the achieved results.

The Prime Minister emphasized that in 2024, which marks the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, the construction project must be completed and put into operation in the first 6 months of 2026.

Based on the experience gained, the Prime Minister requested the rescheduling of the runway progress, aiming to shorten the additional time by 3 to 6 months to make up for the delay. He also called for a competition starting from now until April 30, 2025 (the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and the reunification of Vietnam).