Nearly 14,000 engineers and construction workers continued work through Việt Nam’s National Day holiday this week at Long Thành International Airport, as the Government pushes to speed up the project that has faced years of delays.
Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính inspects construction progress at Long Thành International Airport in Đồng Nai Province on August 3. - VNA/VNS Photo
The state-run Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), which is overseeing the US$13.5 billion development, said more than 6,000 workers are deployed at the passenger terminal - considered the “heart” of the airport - where construction runs 24 hours a day.
The underground structure and four reinforced-concrete levels are largely complete, while installations such as baggage systems and passenger walkways are now being delivered.
Other packages, including internal roads, utilities, fuel infrastructure, reservoirs, cargo facilities and power supply, have also mobilised more than 3,200 workers and 3,000 machines, ACV said.
Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has ordered that the airport’s first phase be completed by December 19, 2025, a year earlier than the deadline approved by the National Assembly.
Long Thành International Airport. — VNA/VNS Photo
He has urged contractors to show “high determination” and to ensure quality and environmental standards alongside speed.
The 5,000-hectare site, located about 40km east of HCM City, has been plagued by delays since being approved in 2015, mainly due to slow site clearance, resettlement challenges, financing issues and the pandemic.
Designed to ease heavy congestion at HCM City's Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, Long Thành airport is expected to serve up to 25 million passengers a year in its first phase, eventually expanding to 100 million passengers and five million tonnes of cargo annually, making it one of Southeast Asia’s largest airports.