Party General Secretary To Lam is calling for rapid policy measures to draw international carriers to Long Thanh International Airport, aiming to elevate it into one of Southeast Asia's leading aviation hubs.
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| The passenger terminal at Long Thanh Airport in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam, is nearing completion and is set to begin technical operations on Dec. 19, 2025. Photo by Thai Ha |
During a field inspection on Nov. 13, the Party chief reviewed progress on the 1,810-hectare Phase 1 development, which began on Jan. 5, 2021 and is designed to handle 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo each year. Key components, including Runway No. 1, fencing and connecting roads, are now complete. Calibration flights ran from Sept. 26 to Oct. 29, and the project is targeting substantial completion before Dec. 19, with commercial operations expected by mid-2026.
He noted that the project's progress demonstrates the financial strength and self-reliance of Vietnamese enterprises, adding that Long Thanh is not just an airport but a strategic engine for national and southern regional growth.
To boost its international draw, he urged the government to direct ministries and enterprises to build competitive policies on fees, ground services, maintenance and cargo transshipment. He also called for a global promotional strategy so that foreign travelers choose Long Thanh for convenience and experience, while airlines select it for efficiency, service quality and an attractive investment environment.
Once operational, Long Thanh in Dong Nai Province is expected to ease overload at Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat Airport which is 40 km away, strengthen connectivity across the Southeast region and reinforce Vietnam’s geostrategic role on the Asia–Pacific aviation map.
He also instructed ministries and localities to complete multimodal links between Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Ba Ria–Vung Tau, and to accelerate work on key expressways, including Bien Hoa–Vung Tau, Ben Luc–Long Thanh and Ho Chi Minh City’s Ring Roads 3 and 4. The Thu Thiem–Long Thanh light rail line should break ground soon to connect the city’s metro network directly with the airport, he said.
Under a proposed two-phase plan by the Civil Aviation Authority, both Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat will operate international flights from 2025 to 2030. During this period, new or expanded international services to Ho Chi Minh City will not be licensed at Tan Son Nhat but shifted to Long Thanh. After 2030, all international flights are expected to move to Long Thanh once its transport network is fully in place, forming an airport city and logistics hub similar to Singapore or Amsterdam.
Vu The Phiet, Chairman of the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, the project's investor, said Long Thanh is being built as Vietnam's most modern, smart and green airport, meeting 5-star international standards. The design focuses on energy efficiency, digital technology and automated systems, including AI-enhanced operations, smart parking, contactless tolling, 64 self check-in kiosks and biometric check-in counters.
Security will use 12 facial-recognition lanes and advanced screening systems, while immigration will feature automated lanes, 3D displays, support robots and a modern baggage-handling system. The airport will also offer electric-vehicle charging stations.
Dong Nai Party Secretary Vu Hong Van said the province is accelerating major transport projects: expressways, ring roads, railways and large bridges, while planning a green, smart Long Thanh airport urban area with logistics hubs, new industrial zones, more than 1,000 hectares for services and around 10,000 hectares of housing for workers and experts.
Dong Nai has also proposed establishing a free-trade zone in and around the airport, extending metro lines from Ho Chi Minh City into Dong Nai, and developing a regional free-trade complex and western expressway under a special mechanism.
Source: VNexpress
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