[Photo Feature] 1,800-day journey from vast rubber plantations and villages to ‘mega’ Long Thanh International Airport

Since construction began on January 5, 2021, nearly five years, or close to 1,800 days, have passed, and the first phase of Long Thanh International Airport is steadily nearing completion. From what was once a vast expanse of rubber forests and villages, the outline of a “super” airport, an iconic project symbolizing the nation’s development aspirations, has taken shape.

In 2020, Dong Nai Province officially handed over land to relevant units, marking the start of construction of Long Thanh Airport. Photo: Pham Tung

Alongside the land handover process for construction, site clearance in the project area is carried out simultaneously, with the clearance of rubber plantation land implemented first. Photo: Pham Tung

Residents in the project area dismantle their homes to clear the land for the construction of Long Thanh Airport. Photo: Contributor

Long Thanh Airport is being built on an area of about 5,000 hectares, spanning six former communes of Long Thanh District, Dong Nai Province. Photo: Contributor

Among the six communes within the area designated for the construction of Long Thanh Airport, Suoi Trau Commune is dissolved as most of its land lies within the airport site. The remaining area is merged into Bau Can Commune, formerly part of Long Thanh District in Dong Nai Province. Photo: Pham Tung

Suoi Trau Primary School in 2020. Photo: Pham Tung

By late 2020, a large portion of the land designated for Long Thanh Airport had been cleared by Dong Nai Province. Photo: Collaborator

As soon as the cleared site is handed over, Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) begins work on the ground levelling and drainage package. Photo: Pham Tung

Thousands of workers and machines are mobilized for ground-levelling. The Long Thanh Airport project site becomes the largest construction site in the country at the time. Photo: Pham Tung

At the end of August 2023, construction began on the passenger terminal – the “heart” of the first phase of Long Thanh Airport. Photo: Collaborator

The passenger terminal is the most critical component of the first phase of the Long Thanh Airport project. The construction and equipment installation package for the terminal is valued at VND 35 trillion. Photo: Pham Tung

Construction of the air traffic control tower, the “brain” of Long Thanh Airport, also began in 2023. Photo: Collaborator

To meet the goal of shortening construction time and completing the project ahead of schedule, the Long Thanh Airport construction site operates around the clock, with work carried out in three shifts, day and night. Photo: Pham Tung

Nearly five years into construction, and after almost 1,800 days on site, tens of thousands of engineers, workers, and laborers, along with machinery and equipment, worked through sun, rain, and storms, including holidays and Tet, to complete the project ahead of schedule. Photo: Pham Tung

The first phase of Long Thanh Airport is set to be officially inaugurated on December 19, 2025, with commercial operations expected to begin in the first half of 2026. Photo: Pham Tung

A series of government office buildings has mainly been completed to support operations once Long Thanh Airport opens. Photo: Pham Tung

The two access roads connecting Long Thanh Airport (T1 and T2) have also been mainly completed to facilitate transportation for the airport project.

By Pham Tung, Xuan Duong  – Translated by Tam Binh, Minho