Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh attends the inauguration of several facilities and the launch of the first flight at Long Thanh airport

On December 19, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) held a ceremony to inaugurate several facilities and launch the first official flight to Long Thanh International Airport.

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh arrives on the first official flight to Long Thanh Airport. Photo: Pham Tung

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh and delegates arrive on the first official flight to Long Thanh Airport. Photo: Pham Tung

Politburo Member and Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, together with Vu Hong Van, Secretary of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee and Head of the provincial National Assembly delegation, and other delegates attend the ceremony. Photo: Pham Tung

Attending the ceremony was Politburo Member and Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh.

Dong Nai provincial leaders attending the event included: Vu Hong Van, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Head of the provincial National Assembly delegation; Ton Ngoc Hanh, Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairwoman of the Provincial People’s Council; and Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee.

Leaders of the Party, the State, and Dong Nai Province attend the ceremony. Photo: Cong Nghia

Prior to the ceremony, flights operated by Vietnam’s national carrier Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo Airways, and Vietjet Air successively landed at Long Thanh Airport. Among them, the Vietnam Airlines flight operated with a Boeing 787 aircraft was the first official flight to arrive at Long Thanh Airport. This flight also carried the delegation of Party and State leaders led by Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh to attend the ceremony.

Delegates perform the ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate facilities under Component Project 3 of the Long Thanh Airport Construction and Investment Project. Photo: Cong Nghia

According to Vu The Phiet, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACV, the Long Thanh Airport Project is a nationally important project approved by the National Assembly under Resolution No. 94/2015/QH13 dated June 25, 2015, with a designed capacity of 100 million passengers and 5 million tons of cargo per year. The project is divided into three investment phases, of which Phase 1 includes the construction of a passenger terminal with a capacity of 25 million passengers per year, built to ICAO Code 4F standards—the highest level set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ACV has been assigned as the investor for Component Project 3, which comprises the airport’s essential facilities.

During implementation, the project encountered several difficulties, particularly the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which significantly affected construction progress. However, with the strong involvement of the Government, the Prime Minister, and relevant ministries and agencies, the project has gradually taken shape as a mega construction site operating in “three shifts,” “four teams,” working through holidays and Tet, overcoming harsh weather conditions. Tens of thousands of experts, engineers, workers, and employees, together with thousands of modern machines and equipment have been mobilized, in cooperation with leading international consulting firms and both domestic and international contractors.

“To date, Component Project 3 invested by ACV has not only ensured the highest construction quality but has also accelerated progress, shortening the schedule compared with the contract,” Vu The Phiet said.

The inauguration of the facilities and the launch of the first official flight mark an important milestone in the completion of the project and its preparation for operation in the first half of 2026.

At the ceremony, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Head of the provincial National Assembly delegation Vu Hong Van, and other delegates performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the facilities and officially launch the first flight to Long Thanh Airport.

Previously, on the afternoon of December 15, Long Thanh Airport welcomed its first commercial aircraft, coded VN5001, which landed successfully, followed by the successful takeoff of flight VN5002. This event was of great significance in the final evaluation of operational conditions, in preparation for the launch of three official flights of Long Thanh Airport on December 19.

After five consecutive years of accelerating construction progress while ensuring quality, Long Thanh Airport—described as a “project of the century” symbolizing the nation’s aspiration to enter a new era—has welcomed three inaugural flights. This important milestone is driving relevant units to urgently complete the remaining technical infrastructure so that the project can soon be put into commercial operation in the coming months.

By Pham Tung - Translated by Trieu Ngan, Thu Ha