Developing the Long Thanh - Nhon Trach region

Located adjacent to the nation’s largest metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City, and possessing a strategic position as a key transportation hub, the Long Thanh - Nhon Trach region holds significant potential for breakthrough development in the coming period.

A perspective rendering of Nhon Trach urban planning proposed by the consulting unit. Photo: Pham Tung

Brimming with strong development potential

According to the plan, Phase 1 of Long Thanh International Airport is scheduled to enter commercial operation in the first half of 2026. This is expected to create a major development engine for Dong Nai Province as well as the Long Thanh and Nhon Trach areas.

To realize the development potential from the Long Thanh Airport “mega project”, Dong Nai Province is preparing the master plan for the Long Thanh Airport urban area based on a modern, green, smart, globally connected Airport City model, aiming to transform Long Thanh into a leading aviation and logistics hub in Southeast Asia. Accordingly, Long Thanh Airport urban area is planned to cover about 43,000 hectares, with its main development drivers identified as industry, commercial services and logistics, and smart urban development.

In mid-February 2025, Phuoc An Port, Dong Nai’s largest seaport, officially welcomed its first international vessel. The event marked a “launchpad” for the port to expand its reach on the regional and global logistics map. It also represented a milestone in the goal of developing Nhon Trach into an industrial - port city. According to experts, with the spillover effects of the Long Thanh Airport City model, Nhon Trach - alongside Long Thanh - will enjoy substantial development momentum.

Doctor of Science - Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son, Chairman of NgoViet Architects & Planners (based in Ho Chi Minh City), stated that the Long Thanh Airport urban area should not be confined within the current planning study area but should be expanded to include Nhon Trach and integrated with Ho Chi Minh City’s urban system.

During Party General Secretary To Lam’s working session on the Long Thanh Airport Project on November 13, 2025, Vu Hong Van, Secretary of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee and Head of the Dong Nai National Assembly Delegation, emphasized that Long Thanh and Nhon Trach are strategic urban areas. As transportation gateways adjacent to Ho Chi Minh City, they offer advantageous land resources and conditions favorable for attracting international investors to develop world-class driving-force urban centers.

At the same meeting on November 13, 2025, Party General Secretary To Lam called for accelerating the progress and early completion of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway; the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway; and Ho Chi Minh City’s Ring Roads 3 and 4. He also urged the early commencement of the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh light rail line and the Suoi Tien - Dong Nai Provincial Administrative Center - Long Thanh Airport metro line, which will directly connect Ho Chi Minh City’s metro system with Long Thanh Airport.

Increasing advantages, attracting investment

In August 2025, Component Project 1A (Tan Van - Nhon Trach segment) of Ho Chi Minh City’s Ring Road 3 was officially opened to traffic, creating a direct connection between Nhon Trach and Ho Chi Minh City. According to the schedule, in December 2025, Component Project 3 of Ring Road 3 will also open to technical traffic, paving the way for the full operation of the entire ring-road system.

During the same period, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway will also be completed and open to technical traffic. This arterial route connects Dong Nai Province as well as the urban centers of Bien Hoa and Long Thanh with Ho Chi Minh City.

The Long Thanh urban area serves as the core for developing the Long Thanh Airport City model. Photo: Pham Tung

It can be said that, alongside Long Thanh Airport and Phuoc An Port, the expanding transportation network, including expressways, ring roads, and provincial routes linking Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast region, is opening “golden opportunities” for the Long Thanh and Nhon Trach areas to accelerate growth.

This new context also requires strategic reforms in planning so that the two localities can fully leverage their development potentials and competitive advantages.

According to the Dong Nai Provincial Master Plan approved by the Prime Minister in July 2024, Long Thanh’s urban population is projected to reach around 320,000 by 2030. Meanwhile, Nhon Trach’s urban population is forecast to reach 340,000 - 370,000 by 2030 and 480,000 - 500,000 by 2045. However, with new development opportunities, experts predict that the population scales of both Long Thanh and Nhon Trach will far exceed these forecasts.

Therefore, during the working session with Party General Secretary To Lam and the Central working delegation on the Long Thanh Airport Project, Secretary Vu Hong Van proposed that the central government allow a review and adjustment of the population scale for the Long Thanh - Nhon Trach region to reach 2.5 million people in the upcoming revision of the Dong Nai Provincial Master Plan. This would enable Dong Nai to assess, allocate, and plan land resources to prepare for investment waves from major, capable, experienced investors currently interested in the region.

At the same working session, in response to Dong Nai’s proposals, Party General Secretary To Lam affirmed that the province’s recommendations were entirely appropriate. He approved all of Dong Nai’s proposals, emphasizing that they would provide a foundation for the province to achieve double-digit growth, accelerate the effective implementation of the Long Thanh Airport Project, and develop Dong Nai into an economic center of the Southeast region, the Southern Key Economic Region, Vietnam, and Southeast Asia as a whole.

By Pham Tung - Translated by Quynh Nhu, Thu Ha