Payment procedures for contractors, as well as the mobilization of construction forces, which had been major bottlenecks slowing the progress of the Long Thanh International Airport Project, have basically been resolved.

Construction of the passenger terminal at Long Thanh Airport. Photo: Pham Tung

Under the Government’s requirement, Phase 1 of the Long Thanh Airport Project must be put into operation by the end of 2026. However, in early 2026, several difficulties affected the project’s progress, including payment issues for some contractors, fluctuations in material prices, and, in particular, a shortage of construction workers.

Continued Reinforcement of Construction Workforce

According to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the simultaneous implementation of many key projects in the southern region as well as across the country has made it difficult for contractors to mobilize labor for the Long Thanh Airport Project.

In response to this situation, since April 2026, solutions to remove obstacles for the project have been implemented synchronously. On April 13, 2026, the Politburo issued Conclusion No. 24-KL/TW on continuing to resolve difficulties and obstacles for long-delayed projects, allowing project-related difficulties to be addressed in parallel with the process of handling responsibilities. This has created a solid legal framework for the entire construction site to accelerate progress.

Subsequently, working groups on payment and materials were also established and put into operation. At the same time, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Finance, Dong Nai City, and Ho Chi Minh City became involved, giving priority to material supply, supporting workforce mobilization, and promptly resolving obstacles for the project.

According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Hung, Acting General Director of ACV, outstanding payment-related issues have basically been handled, while the policy of making temporary payments for accepted work volumes has been cleared, creating conditions for the Long Thanh Airport Project to accelerate construction.

Regarding human resources for project construction, during the launch of the 180-day campaign to accelerate completion and put Long Thanh Airport into operation, contractor representatives committed to concentrating manpower and machinery for construction.

Mr. Nguyen Do Quy, General Director of Hanoi Construction Corporation (Hancorp), a member of the contractor consortium undertaking the project, said that to meet progress requirements, the contractor has prioritized the highest level of resources, especially construction manpower, for the Long Thanh Airport Project. Immediately afterward, the Hancorp contractor consortium issued decisions to maximize resources for this national key project.

Meanwhile, the Aviation Construction Corporation (ACC) is currently maintaining sufficient manpower and equipment for the construction of the second runway package.

According to ACV, the project site is currently maintaining an average of more than 7,300 workers directly participating in construction, an increase of more than 4.5% compared with early June 2026. ACV has continued to require contractors to review their construction organization capacity, supplement manpower, equipment, and materials, and strengthen personnel for internal documentation, dossier completion, acceptance procedures, and quality management, ensuring that all components are implemented synchronously from on-site construction to acceptance and quality control.

Racing Against Time

For Phase 1 of the Long Thanh Airport Project, in mid-June 2026, during a working session with the Standing Committee of the Dong Nai City Party Committee, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung emphasized that completing and putting Phase 1 of Long Thanh Airport into commercial operation is a mandatory task.

During an inspection of the project’s progress in mid-June 2026, Party Central Committee Member and Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh also required that the overarching spirit must be “progress cannot be delayed; we must act and race against time” to complete the project on schedule. He also asked relevant parties to review the entire construction volume and payment-finalization dossiers, while paying attention to caring for and encouraging the engineers and workers who are working day and night at the construction site.

According to ACV, after the launch of the 180-day acceleration campaign to complete the project and put Long Thanh Airport into operation, the construction pace has continued to increase. Accordingly, the total completed output value of Component Project 3 has reached more than VND 65.6 trillion, equivalent to nearly 76% of the total value of signed contracts. For major construction and installation packages alone, the total completed value has reached more than VND 56 trillion, equivalent to nearly 68% of contract value. This figure increased by 3.35 percentage points compared with early June 2026.

In particular, Package 4.8, covering construction, equipment installation, construction drawing design for internal airport transport works, and airport technical infrastructure, is one of the project’s large and complex construction packages. ACV is strengthening control by construction area, group of items, and connection requirements with related packages. To date, the completed work value of Package 4.8 has reached nearly VND 6.9 trillion, equivalent to almost 62% of contract value.

As the project construction area is about to enter the rainy season, which may affect construction activities, ACV and relevant units have proactively developed response plans and adjusted construction schedules according to actual weather conditions.

According to ACV, the corporation will coordinate with the Long Thanh Airport Project Management Board to continue closely monitoring the construction site, strengthen inspections, coordinate resources, promptly address arising obstacles, and require contractors to maintain the highest level of focus on ensuring progress, quality, construction safety, and overall project synchronization.

Phạm Tùng

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/