Vietnam PM presses for Long Thanh airport phase 1 completion by mid-2026

The directive was outlined in a Thursday notice issued by the Government Office following the 23rd meeting of the State Steering Committee for National Key Transport Projects, chaired by PM Chinh, head of the committee.

The push for completion comes more than two months after the project marked a milestone on December 19, 2025, when a wide-body Boeing 787 operated by Vietnam Airlines made the first official landing at the airport.

At the meeting, Chinh instructed ACV, the project’s investor, along with other ministries and agencies, to urgently review the remaining workload at the construction site and develop detailed and practical implementation plans to ensure the first phase is completed within the first half of this year.

According to the notice, he stressed that all relevant bodies must answer to the Party, the government, and the public regarding the project’s timeline, construction standards, and operational safety.

He also emphasized that any violations must be strictly handled in accordance with the law and that obstacles causing delays must be promptly resolved to prevent bottlenecks during implementation.

Long Thanh International Airport is a national key project spanning about 5,000 hectares, with a total estimated investment of more than VND336.63 trillion (US$13 billion).

Construction began in 2020, and the airport is being developed in three phases, making it the country’s largest and most ambitious aviation infrastructure undertaking to date.

Phase 1, funded with around VND109 trillion ($4.2 billion), is designed to serve 25 million passengers and handle 1.2 million metric tons of cargo annually.

Once fully completed, the airport will have a total capacity of up to 100 million passengers and five million metric tons of cargo per year, positioning Vietnam as a major regional aviation hub and helping ease congestion at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

The new facility is planned as a smart and environmentally friendly airport built to international five-star standards.

Advanced systems operated by ACV will enable biometric identification throughout the passenger journey, from check-in and automated baggage drop to exit immigration, reducing reliance on traditional identification documents.

An integrated operations control center and one of the region’s most advanced automated baggage handling systems, connected to the national population database, are also key components of the airport’s high-tech infrastructure.