Graphic images of Long Thanh International Airport (Source: VNA)

The dispatch was sent to the ministers of transport, planning and investment, construction, natural resources and environment, public security, national defence, finance, and agriculture and rural development; the chairperson of the Committee for Management of State Capital at Enterprises (CMSC); the chairperson of the Dong Nai provincial People’s Committee; and the director general of the Airports Corporation of Vietnam.

It noted that the project is of national importance and has its schedule and completion target set by the National Assembly. The Government and the PM highly valued efforts by relevant ministries, sectors, the Dong Nai People’s Committee, and other agencies in resolving difficulties and obstacles during the project implementation, especially the site clearance and resettlement for Phase 1.

However, the main sub-projects are lagging behind schedule. Given this, it is necessary to clarify causes and responsibilities of relevant parties while taking timely solutions to accelerate the project.

The PM requested investors of sub-projects, the Transport Ministry, the CMSC, and related agencies to review their assigned tasks, identify causes as well as responsibilities of each poor-performing individual and collective, and send reports to the Transport Ministry to sumit to Deputy PM Tran Hong Ha by April 23.

In particular, the People’s Committee of Dong Nai province, which houses the airport, was told to quickly complete site clearance and hand over the land area for Phase 1, 1,180ha, and for two roads connecting with the airport before June 30. It was also asked to coordinate with relevant authorities to guarantee order, security, safety, and environmental hygiene in the construction site and thoroughly deal with local residents’ petitions in a timely manner.

In the dispatch, PM Chinh also gave out concreate tasks to related ministries and agencies.

Starting in 2021, the Long Thanh International Airport project covers more than 5,000ha across six communes in Long Thanh district of Dong Nai. It has total investment is 336.63 trillion VND (14.3 billion USD) and is divided into three phases.

Once fully completed by 2050, the airport will be able to handle 100 million passengers and 5 million tonnes of cargo annually.

Located 40km east of Ho Chi Minh City, it is expected to relieve overloading at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, currently the country’s largest, in the southern metropolis./.