The Race for the Long Thanh International Airport’s Passenger Terminal: A $1.5 Billion Project Soars to New Heights

According to information from Ricons Construction Investment JSC, on the afternoon of August 23, the company officially held the roof-sealing ceremony for Package 5.10 – Construction and Equipment Installation of the Passenger Terminal at the Long Thanh International Airport – Phase 1.

According to Ricons’ representative, the project commenced on August 31, 2023, and today, the Long Thanh Airport terminal has officially completed the concrete structure from the technical basement to the 4th floor, along with the implementation of electro-mechanical works.

Despite weather conditions significantly impacting the construction process, nearly 2,500 personnel, including experts, engineers, architects, and workers, along with 2,000 pieces of equipment, have been working day and night to ensure the project stays on schedule.

The Long Thanh International Airport is a key national project and a special-grade construction with significant importance to the development of the Southern Key Economic Zone and Vietnam as a whole. Among its components, the passenger terminal is the largest package in terms of scale, featuring the most complex technical characteristics and the longest construction period.

The package is valued at VND 35,000 billion and is being implemented by the Vietur Joint Venture over a period of 39 months. In its first phase of operation, the Long Thanh International Airport will have a capacity of serving 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo annually. It is expected that upon the completion of all phases, the airport will be able to accommodate up to 100 million passengers per year.

Following the roof-sealing ceremony, Ricons will continue with the simultaneous construction of finishing works, steel structures, façade installation, and the installation of electro-mechanical equipment and terminal facilities.

A year ago, in August 2023, the Vietnam Airports Corporation (ACV) organized a bidding process for Package 5.10. This package has the highest value among the bids for the construction of the passenger terminal at the Long Thanh International Airport, Phase 1, with a value of VND 35,233 billion.

Three joint ventures participated in the bidding process, including the Hoa Lu Joint Venture, led by Coteccons Construction JSC, and members Unicons, Thanh An, Delta, Central, An Phong, Hoa Binh Construction, and Powerline Engineering. This group was referred to as the “domestic” joint venture.

Competing against Hoa Lu was Vietur, led by the international contractor IC ISTAS, which brought together companies within the ecosystem of the well-known construction entrepreneur Nguyen Ba Duong, such as Ricons, Newteccons, SOL E&C, along with reputable companies like Vinaconex, Phuc Hung Holdings, and HAWEE Mechanical and Electrical…

Ultimately, Vietur emerged as the winner of the bid.

In a recent development regarding the Long Thanh Airport, on August 24, the Vietnam Airports Corporation (ACV) announced the disqualification of eight enterprises belonging to the Deo Ca Joint Venture during the technical round of bidding for Package 4.7. This package is valued at over VND 6,300 billion and is part of Component Project 3 of the Long Thanh Airport project.

Believing that their disqualification from this significant package of the Long Thanh Airport project was unjustified, the Deo Ca Joint Venture filed a complaint and requested the investor to reconsider.

However, ACV has provided the following response: Specifically, one of the members of the joint venture, Hoang Long Investment and Construction Corporation, was temporarily suspended from the system from June 30, 2024 (due to non-payment of fees by the deadline) until the approval of the list of contractors.

ACV stated that the bidding invitation package for Package 4.7 was prepared according to Form 03B as per the circular issued by the Ministry of Planning and Investment. The package has been approved by the investor, published on the National Bidding Network system, and has provided responses to all inquiries from interested parties throughout the preparation of the bidding invitation package.

According to ACV, the Deo Ca Joint Venture failed to meet the requirements specified in the bidding invitation package. The evaluation of the technical proposals was conducted by the unit in accordance with regulations, following steps such as checking and evaluating the validity of the technical proposals, the qualifications and experience of the bidding participants… The handling of the complaint was carried out in accordance with Article 91 of the Law on Bidding.