Secretary of Đồng Nai Province's Party Committee and Chairman of the province's People’s Council Nguyễn Phú Cường. Photo dantri.com.vn

Secretary of Đồng Nai Province's Party Committee and Chairman of the province's People’s Council Nguyễn Phú Cường speaks to Đồng Nai newspaper about his appreciation for members of the public who have relocated to make way for the construction of Long Thành Airport.

Could you tell us about the efforts Đồng Nai has been making to hand over land for the construction of Long Thành Airport on time?

After working hard for the last two years, authorities in Đồng Nai Province on Tuesday handed over land to make way for the first phase of construction of Long Thành Airport.

The province had previously committed to handing over an area of over 1,800ha for the airport, but actually we have handed over nearly 2,600ha.

When the Prime Minister assigned Đồng Nai Province to compensate, support and relocate people in affected areas, a steering committee was set up to speed up the work.

Today, Đồng Nai officially reported to the Politburo, National Assembly and Government that Đồng Nai had handed over more land than we committed to, and had fulfilled the task.

We identified that Long Thành Airport is a key national project, so we spared no efforts to implement the task. The completed land clearance work marks the province’s 11th Party Congress and will be reported at the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam.

Handing over the land on time was very important to ensuring the progress of the airport's construction.

Work to compensate, support and relocate locals must come first, so the province will continue with these efforts and not neglect our responsibilities.

What do you think about the public support for the land clearance for the airport project?

As a provincial leader, and on behalf of our other leaders, I would like to thank the people who handed over land for the first phase of construction, as well as later phases. They have made sacrifices for the sake of the community by moving from their homes, which for many people were where they were born and grew up.

I have asked relevant agencies to ensure proper infrastructure in relocation areas so people can settle down comfortably.

The province’s Investment and Construction Project Management Board is speeding up relocation projects and arranging land for people to build new houses and other public works.

I hope that in the following phases of the project, local residents will continue to co-operate with authorities so the province can hand over land to constructors on time.

The Government assigned the province to be in charge of compensation, support and relocation, so we considered it a priority task for the province at that time. Under the sub-project, the province is also responsible for job training for those affected.

The funding is available, so the People’s Committee is working with relevant agencies to develop training courses.

In my opinion, identifying the right jobs to offer training is very important so we can meet employers’ requirements. If the training is done properly and jobs are available, we will retain public trust which will pave the way for the smooth implementation of the project.

What can you say about the role of Long Thành Airport in the development of Đồng Nai’s infrastructure?

We appreciate all investments in the province, local or foreign, public or private, as they help increase the province’s gross regional domestic product.

Long Thành Airport is a key national project with huge investment. Its first phase of investment reaches over VNĐ100 trillion (US$4.3 billion). Other expressways and roads that link the airport will also create a great opportunity for the province to “take off”.

The province is planning for Long Thành and Nhơn Trạch districts where the airport is located to become key growth drivers for the province. Neighbouring districts like Cẩm Mỹ and Thống Nhất will also have further connections with the airport.

I think the project is very important for the future development of Đồng Nai. As directed by the Government, we are making plans for satellite urban areas connecting with the airport. We will not develop urban areas near the airport as they could cause difficulties for planes landing/taking off.

The airport is a golden key for Đồng Nai to speed up urbanisation, particular the development of urban areas, tourism sites and smart cities. VNS