The Fourth Visit to the $16 Billion Mega-Project with 6,000 Workers: The Prime Minister’s Crucial Directive

Target Completion Date: December 31, 2025

On September 24, during his working visit to Dong Nai province, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh inspected the progress of two key transport infrastructure projects in the area: the Long Thanh International Airport and the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway.

This was the fourth time in over two years that the Prime Minister has inspected and urged progress on the Long Thanh International Airport project, demonstrating the Party and State’s special attention to this endeavor.

The Long Thanh International Airport project is the largest airport project in Vietnam to date and is of particular importance to the socio-economic development of the Southeast region and the country as a whole.

Since the Prime Minister’s last visit to the site in February 2024, significant progress has been made across various components and structures in just seven months.

Notably, Component 2 – the Air Traffic Control Tower, is two months ahead of schedule, and Component 3 – the Passenger Terminal, has completed 100% of the foundation work, 20 days ahead of schedule for the structural framework, and 10 days ahead of the overall schedule. The runway has also substantially completed its foundation work, three months ahead of the contract schedule.

During the meeting at the construction site, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that this project is a symbol of the XIII Congress of the Party. Therefore, the Prime Minister requested shortening the timeline compared to the previous plan, aiming to substantially complete this symbolic project by December 31, 2025, to commemorate the XIV Congress of the Party, the 80th anniversary of National Day, and the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification.

“We have sufficient grounds to shorten the timeline and substantially complete the project by December 31, 2025, as we have gained more maturity and experience in implementing large-scale infrastructure projects, with most procedures already completed. Moreover, land clearance is almost finished, and we have adequate human resources and machinery at the construction site,” quoted the Government Portal from the Prime Minister’s directive.

Consideration of a Railway or Subway Connection to the Airport

Notably, during the meeting on September 24, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh instructed the Ministry of Transport to promptly report to the authorized agency the proposal for the second runway. Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long was assigned to directly oversee the submission of this proposal to be included in the agenda of the 8th session of the XV National Assembly.

Additionally, the Head of the Government assigned the Ministry of Transport and relevant agencies to promptly study and implement connectivity solutions for the Long Thanh Airport (including options for railways, subways, etc.).

Furthermore, relevant units were instructed to follow the Government’s directives regarding the expansion of the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh section of the expressway.

The Prime Minister also requested that the Vietnam Airports Corporation (ACV) promptly implement the remaining packages of Component 3. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was tasked with arranging funds for the construction of the headquarters of the animal and plant quarantine station, ensuring synchronization with the overall project. The Ministry of Transport was assigned to take responsibility and urgently select investors for Component 4, as well as coordinate the construction timeline of Components 1, 2, and 4 with Component 3 implemented by ACV…

With factors such as increased maturity, more experience in large-scale infrastructure projects, mostly completed procedures, substantially finished land clearance, and adequate human resources and machinery at the site, the Prime Minister expressed confidence in having a solid basis to shorten the timeline and substantially complete the project by December 31, 2025.

The Prime Minister emphasized that with the current momentum in the development of the Long Thanh Airport, we are ready to embark on the high-speed North-South railway project, another symbolic infrastructure project in the new era of national development – an era of national advancement.