Long Thanh Airport: A testament to the spirit of “nothing is impossible” (Part 4)

PART 4: COMPLETING THE “PICTURE” OF TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE CONNECTING LONG THANH AIRPORT

To fully capitalize on Long Thanh International Airport, the completion of its connecting transportation infrastructure system is a critical factor. Driven by this requirement, the investment and construction of this airport themselves have played a key role in spurring a series of infrastructure projects designed to support airport operations, improve connectivity across surrounding areas, and spread momentum for regional development.

Hai tuyến giao thông (T1, T2) kết nối Sân bay Long Thành hiện đã cơ bản hoàn thành xây dựng. Ảnh: Phạm TùngThe construction of two transport routes (T1 and T2) connecting Long Thanh Airport have now been largely completed. Photo: Pham Tung

The “power source” for a series of transport infrastructure projects

In mid-August 2025, construction officially began on the expansion of the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh section of the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway. This is one of the “lifeline” projects designed to provide transport connectivity to Long Thanh Airport, especially during the operation of  the Phase 1 of this project.

Vu The Phiet, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), noted that approximately 80% of passengers traveling to and from Long Thanh Airport require connections to Ho Chi Minh City. During the airport’s initial phase, the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway is the main route linking the airport with Ho Chi Minh City. Therefore, expanding this expressway is crucial for ensuring efficient transport connectivity.

Vo Tan Duc, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, said that the province has always given top priority to investing in and completing the transportation infrastructure network connecting Long Thanh Airport, in order to spread the development momentum generated by the project.

Currently, regarding transport connections to Long Thanh Airport, the province has completed Route 1, Route 2, the Dau Giay – Phan Thiet Expressway connecting to the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway, and the inter-port road. Construction is also underway on the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau Expressway, Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressway, Long Thanh – Ho Tram Expressway, Ring Roads 3 and 4 of Ho Chi Minh City, as well as provincial roads 25B, 25C, 769E and other related routes. High-speed North–South railway lines, the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau railway, the extension of the urban railway from Suoi Tien to the Dong Nai Provincial Political and Administrative Center and Long Thanh Airport, as well as the Thu Thiem – Long Thanh railway, is also being fast-tracked, with documentation being finalized in preparation for implementation

Once completed, the infrastructure projects will make a major contribution to the development of Dong Nai in the coming years. I believe that Dong Nai province will soon be among the leading localities nationwide in terms of economic growth.

Connectivity to Long Thanh Airport enters the “final stretch”

The Resolution of the 1st Congress of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee for the 2025–2030 term frankly acknowledged that, at present, digital infrastructure, transport connectivity, and technical infrastructure remain insufficiently integrated.

In reality, the connecting transport routes from the northern provinces through Dong Nai into Ho Chi Minh City are still incomplete. Connections from the Southwestern provinces through Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai frequently experience congestion. The link between Long Thanh Airport and Tan Son Nhat Airport has yet to be developed, creating significant pressure once Long Thanh Airport becomes operational. To facilitate connectivity between these two major airports in southern Vietnam, the Ministry of Construction is coordinating with relevant agencies to complete procedures for transferring project management to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, enabling the investment and construction to commence soon.

The Thu Thiem – Long Thanh railway is under study for investment, with a planned length of approximately 42 kilometres, double tracks, a gauge of over 1.4 metres, a design speed of 120 kilometres per hour, and 20 stations. This line is intended to transport passengers between the inner and outer urban areas of Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai province to Long Thanh Airport. The project’s preliminary total investment is nearly USD 3.4 billion.

In October 2025, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee reported to the Government on options for connecting Long Thanh Airport with Tan Son Nhat Airport. The report presented three potential approaches. After analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of each option, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee concluded that connecting via Metro Line 2 (Tham Luong – Ben Thanh – Thu Thiem) combined with the Thu Thiem – Long Thanh railway offers the most favorable conditions for early implementation.

Dr. Truong Minh Huy Vu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies and Head of the Dong Nai Provincial Socio-Economic Advisory Team, shared that early investment in the Thu Thiem – Long Thanh Railway project not only addresses the challenge of transport connectivity between the country’s two major airports but also serves as a crucial foundation for promoting socio-economic development in Dong Nai province, including urban development.

From Dong Nai Province’s perspective, to complete the transport network connecting Long Thanh Airport, a series of projects will be implemented in the near future, such as upgrading, expanding, and constructing provincial roads 769, 769E, 773, 770B; extending the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro line to Tran Bien Ward and Long Thanh Airport; and building road bridges connecting to Ho Chi Minh City, including Cat Lai, Long Hung, Hieu Liem, Thanh Hoi, Xom La, Tan An, and Tan Hien.

Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee member and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, Ho Van Ha, supposed that given the substantial resources required for investing in the province’s transport infrastructure projects, relying solely on public investment would be insufficient. Therefore, diversifying investment forms and maximizing the participation of social resources in completing the transport infrastructure system to meet development needs is essential.

To realize the goal of mobilizing society-wide resources, the Provincial People’s Committee approved the consortium of investors proposing investment of the extension of the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro line to Tran Bien Ward and Long Thanh Airport under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. At the same time, a number of other projects are being implemented under the PPP model, including Cat Lai Bridge, Long Hung Bridge, the road connecting Dong Xoai to Ring Road 4 – Ho Chi Minh City via Provincial Road 753, Ma Da Bridge, and the connecting road from Ma Da Bridge to Ring Road 4 – Ho Chi Minh City.

In October 2025, the Provincial People’s Committee approved CC1 as the investor for the Cat Lai Bridge and its approach roads project under the PPP model. Earlier, in August 2025, the Provincial People’s Committee approved the consortium of DonaCoop Infrastructure Investment Joint Stock Company and VinaCapital Group as the investors proposing the extension of the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro line to Tran Bien Ward and Long Thanh Airport under the PPP model.

Long Thanh Airport is a key project contributing to the establishment of the country’s three strategic development pillars: institution, infrastructure, and human resources. As a critical piece of infrastructure, any delay is unacceptable, as each day lost is a setback for the nation

Dong Nai – Ho Chi Minh City transportation infrastructure connectivity

On October 21, 2025, at a meeting between the Ho Chi Minh City Party Standing Committee and the Dong Nai Provincial Party Standing Committee to discuss solutions for connecting transportation infrastructure between the two localities, comrade Vu Hong Van, Secretary of Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee and Head of the province’s National Assembly Delegation, emphasized that: Dong Nai is committed not just to discussion but to action. The province aims not only to agree on policies but also to define concrete steps, clear timelines, and breakthrough solutions to promptly implement key transportation projects, including expressways, ring roads, connecting bridges, and metro lines linking Ho Chi Minh City with Long Thanh Airport.

Following the meeting, Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City agreed to divide the work into separate projects to carry out the construction of Cat Lai Bridge, Long Hung Bridge, and Phu My 2 Bridge.

Long Thanh Airport is not only an international air gateway but also a regional connectivity hub that will drive development throughout the Southeast region. To maximize the airport’s impact, synchronizing the transportation infrastructure systems between Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai is critically important. To accelerate progress, during the Party General Secretary To Lam’s working visit on the Long Thanh Airport Project on November 13, 2025, Dong Nai proposed special development mechanisms and policies.

According to comrade Vu Hong Van, ten provinces and cities nationwide have already had pilot resolutions on special mechanisms and policies enacted by the National Assembly. Dong Nai, with its large population, significant economy, and strategic location in the Southeast region adjacent to Ho Chi Minh City, still lacks such special mechanisms and policies covering investment, land, and transportation infrastructure.

Therefore, Dong Nai proposed that the Party General Secretary and the Politburo approve the policy in principle, allowing the Government to review and evaluate the implementation of existing special mechanisms and policies. This review would serve as a foundation for the National Assembly to draft a resolution piloting certain special development mechanisms and policies for Dong Nai in selected sectors, similar to Resolution 98 applied to Ho Chi Minh City, enabling the two localities to operate under the same framework for attracting investment and developing interregional transportation infrastructure.

In addition, Dong Nai proposed that the policy in principle be approved to include the extension of the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro line to Dong Nai Province and Long Thanh Airport in the list of urban railway projects piloting certain special mechanisms and policies under National Assembly Resolution No. 188/2025/QH15 dated February 19, 2025. The province also recommended that the Government instruct relevant ministries and sectors to review and incorporate the East–West expressway route passing through Dong Nai into the planning to ensure consistency with the expressway route from Hoa Lu Border Gate and the Central Highlands to Long Thanh Airport.

Recognizing the appropriateness of Dong Nai’s proposals, Party General Secretary To Lam agreed with these recommendations and required the ministries, sectors, and localities to focus on ensuring multimodal infrastructure connectivity between Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai. The construction progress of the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau and Ben Luc – Long Thanh expressways, as well as Ho Chi Minh City’s Ring Roads 3 and 4, needs to be accelerated. In particular, the Thu Thiem – Long Thành light rail line should be commenced as soon as possible, gradually connecting the city’s metro network directly to the airport. At the same time, an interregional passenger and logistics transfer hub should be planned at the airport to help reduce logistics costs across the region.

      By Pham Tung – Translated by Thu Hien, Thu Ha