A rendering of the proposed Long Thành International Airport in the southern province of Đồng Nai. Photo courtesy of Airports Corporation of Việt Nam (ACV)

HCM CITY — Đồng Nai authorities plan to speed up capital disbursement, as well as site clearance, compensation and resettlement for affected households, so that construction of Long Thành International Airport can begin this year.

According to the province's People’s Committee, in the 2018-19 period, the central government allocated VNĐ11.49 trillion (US$490 million) to the province to implement the project.

The province had disbursed VNĐ1.176 trillion ($50.1 million) as of January, accounting for 10.24 per cent of the estimate. The province said it would accelerate the disbursement of the remaining capital by the end of this year.

Đồng Nai authorities have asked the Prime Minister for permission to start bomb and mine clearance in the area to expedite progress of the project.

Speaking at a recent meeting with Đồng Nai authorities, Lê Anh Tuấn, deputy minister of Transport, said the site must be available no later than August so that the first construction phase can begin this year. Opening is expected by 2025.

The province said it had already paid compensation to Đồng Nai Rubber Corporation to build two household resettlement areas in Lộc An and Bình Sơn communes in Long Thành District.

The corporation has begun cutting rubber trees to hand over a clean site, according to the provincial people’s committee.

The Long Thành International Airport is a key national project that will have a significant impact on the southern key economic region as well as Đồng Nai Province, according to Tuấn.

He suggested that the Ministry of Transport closely work with Đồng Nai Province to promptly solve problems to ensure that the project remains on schedule.

To build the airport, site clearance is needed for more than 5,000 hectares of land and more than 364 additional hectares to build two resettlement sites, including Lộc An – Bình Sơn covering 282ha and Bình Sơn with more than 81ha.

As a result, some 4,800 local households and 26 organisations are expected to be relocated. Some 70 per cent of the 15,500 affected people are farmers, and the rest are rubber plantation workers and workers in other sectors.

The feasibility study for the airport project has been approved by the Government.

Once fully operational, Long Thành airport will reduce the load on Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City.

Long Thành Airport is expected to handle 100 million passengers and five million tonnes of freight each year.

Covering a total area of more than 5,580 hectares, the airport will be located in six communes in Long Thành District in Đồng Nai Province.

The airport’s total investment is VNĐ336.63 trillion ($14.35 billion), with construction divided into three phases.

In the first phase, a runway and one passenger terminal along with other support works will be built to serve 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo each year.

The first phase is expected to be completed by 2025. — VNS