Long Thanh Airport-HCMC trip to take 30-40 minutes by late 2026

On May 14, Deputy Minister of Construction Le Anh Tuan reported to the National Assembly's oversight delegation led by Member of the Party Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Hong Dien: By December 31, 2026, the road transport network linking Long Thanh International Airport with Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) will be a continuous, seamless, and interconnected system.

Deputy Minister of Construction Le Anh Tuan reports to the National Assembly's oversight delegation. Photo: Pham Tung

HCMC’s Ring Road 3 to open to traffic by end of June 2026

According to the master plan, the main road routes connecting Long Thanh Airport with HCMC include the HCMC–Long Thanh–Dau Giay, Bien Hoa–Vung Tau, and Ben Luc–Long Thanh expressways; HCMC’s Ring Road 3; and 25B and 25C roads.

The HCMC–Long Thanh–Dau Giay Expressway is currently being widened. Photo: Pham Tung

According to Deputy Minister of Construction Le Anh Tuan, the main sections of Component Projects 2 and 3 of the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau Expressway have already been put into operation, while the main route of Component 1 is scheduled to become operational in May 2026.

Regarding the Ben Luc–Long Thanh Expressway, work on the remaining items is being accelerated, with the project expected to be completed and fully put into operation by September 2026.

According to the Long Thanh Airport Project Management Board, the current workforce is sufficient to receive, manage, operate, and utilize Long Thanh International Airport. Human resource training has been conducted over the past two years.

The HCMC–Long Thanh–Dau Giay Expressway is currently being widened from 4 lanes to 8-10 lanes. The project is expected to be basically completed by late 2026, while the Long Thanh Bridge component is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2027.

According to Deputy Minister of Construction Le Anh Tuan, once the expansion of the HCMC–Long Thanh–Dau Giay Expressway is completed, travel time from the Thu Thiem area in HCMC to Long Thanh Airport will take only about 40 minutes. The expressway will also serve as the main transport corridor, handling around 75% of passengers traveling between Long Thanh Airport and HCMC.

“If traveling from the site of HCMC’s new administrative center in Thu Thiem to Long Thanh International Airport, the journey will take only about 30 minutes at that time,” Deputy Minister of Construction Le Anh Tuan affirmed.

Deputy Minister of Construction Le Anh Tuan also said that the Ministry of Construction and local authorities are targeting the full opening of HCMC’s Ring Road 3 to traffic in June 2026.

With key road routes either completed or currently under construction, together with 25B and 25C roads being developed by Dong Nai City, Deputy Minister Le Anh Tuan said that by late 2026, there will no longer be concerns about transport connectivity between Long Thanh International Airport, HCMC, and surrounding areas.

3,000 workers accelerate Long Thanh Airport terminal construction

Meanwhile, regarding Phase 1 of the Long Thanh Airport project, the Long Thanh Airport Project Management Board and contractors are determined to put the project into commercial operation by late 2026.

Construction of Long Thanh Airport is being accelerated to commence Phase 1 operations by late 2026. Photo: Pham Tung

According to Vu Pham Nguyen An, Director of the Long Thanh Airport Project Management Board, the critical path schedules for key project packages have been revised to ensure completion by late 2026. “The passenger terminal construction package alone currently has around 3,000 managers, engineers, and workers on site,” Vu Pham Nguyen An stated.

The director added that approximately 95% of the equipment required to be ordered from overseas has been transported to the construction site, of which around 80% has already been installed.

Additionally, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) has established a Long Thanh Airport branch to prepare for the operation and management of the country's largest airport.

By Pham Tung – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha