Long Thanh aerotropolis: Creating a breakthrough in development space

If Long Thanh International Airport is considered a breakthrough transportation infrastructure project, Long Thanh aerotropolis is also expected to become a model that creates a breakthrough by opening up new development space for Dong Nai City.

Politburo Resolution No. 16-NQ/TW, dated July 21, 2026, on building and developing Dong Nai City through 2035, with a vision to 2065 (Resolution No. 16), also sets out the task of comprehensively developing Long Thanh Aerotropolis and surrounding areas as part of the connectivity network linking the Southeast region, the Mekong Delta, the South Central Coast, the Central Highlands and cross-border economic corridors, turning the area into an important driver of growth for Dong Nai City.

Creating a new economic growth driver

Long Thanh Airport is planned to cover approximately 5,000 hectares in Long Thanh Ward. It is envisioned as Vietnam’s largest international aviation hub, on a par with major hubs in the region.

Long Thanh Airport is being completed at an accelerated pace, with Phase 1 scheduled to begin commercial operations by the end of 2026.

For Dong Nai City, Long Thanh Airport is not merely a transportation infrastructure project but is also expected to provide a major boost to socio-economic development. The airport city model associated with the airport has been identified as one of the city’s two new development-driving areas.

In practice, several aerotropolis models associated with major airports, such as Schiphol in the Netherlands and Incheon in the Republic of Korea, have proven effective in promoting economic development.

According to Professor John D. Kasarda of the University of North Carolina, Director of the Aerotropolis Institute China, an airport city is one of the two core components of an aerotropolis. It comprises connecting corridors, clusters of businesses and aviation-oriented industries that support one another and have convenient access to the airport and other key transportation infrastructure in the urban area.

With this structure, Long Thanh should not be developed merely as an international airport, but as a hub linking aviation, logistics, high-tech industry, commerce, urban development and quality of life to form an airport city. This would help optimize supply chains and create new momentum for economic growth.

Expanding development space

One notable aspect of Resolution No. 16 is that it does not view the airport city as a standalone project surrounding Long Thanh Airport. Instead, it links the model with a polycentric urban system, the digital economy, the aviation industry, high technology and interregional logistics.

Dr. Ngo Viet Nam Son, an architect and Chairman of NgoViet Architects & Planners in Ho Chi Minh City, said Long Thanh aerotropolis should not be confined to the area currently covered by the planning study but should be considered for expansion to the Nhon Trach urban area and linked with Ho Chi Minh City.

In reality, maximizing the effectiveness of Long Thanh Airport and the aerotropolis model will depend heavily on transport connectivity to the airport and throughout the airport city area.

For Long Thanh Airport and the surrounding aerotropolis, a series of expressways, ring roads, high-speed railways, urban railways (metros) and local roads have been and are being invested in and constructed.

The city has identified Long Thanh Aerotropolis and the Dong Nai River corridor as its two new development-driving areas.

Once the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau and Ben Luc–Long Thanh expressways, the expanded Ho Chi Minh City–Long Thanh–Dau Giay Expressway, and the Phan Thiet–Dau Giay Expressway, along with the Thu Thiem–Long Thanh railway and the metro extension from Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien to the city’s administrative center and Long Thanh Airport, are all put into operation, they will serve not only as transportation links but also open up new areas for development.

Huynh Ho Dai Nghia, a public policy expert at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, said that for Dong Nai City, Long Thanh is not simply an airport but a nucleus for establishing a new economic ecosystem. “The greatest value of Long Thanh Airport lies not only in passenger and cargo transportation but also in the layers of surrounding services, including logistics, commerce, engineering industries, training, healthcare, hotels, conferences, data, finance and international services,” Nghia said.

By Pham Tung - Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha