Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has ordered the Ministry of National Defence to halt all construction work related to auxiliary infrastructure for a golf course in the vicinity of Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, including a golf school, villas and luxury apartments. — Photo vnexpress.net

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has ordered the Ministry of National Defence to halt all construction work related to auxiliary infrastructure for a golf course in the vicinity of Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, including a golf school, villas and luxury apartments. 

The Government leader also requested the Ministry of National Defence to check issues regarding the golf course’s investment, operation and management, especially as related to land use in the airport that serves HCM City. 

The Government Office’s announcement said the Prime Minister’s order, which he announced at a recent meeting on  construction of the golf course, was related to reports that have surfaced in recent years saying the golf course within the boundaries of Việt Nam’s busiest airport has hampered the facility’s expansion. 

The luxurious gold course, stretching over 157 ha of military land adjacent to the overcrowded airport, was built by the Long Biên Investment Corporation and opened in August 2015.

 Prime Minister Phúc asked the Ministry of Transport to hire a foreign consultant to study the opening of an additional runway at the Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport to reduce overloading and raise its capacity to 45 million passengers a year. The consultant’s report is expected to be sent to the PM within six months. 

The Tân Sơn Nhất airport served 32 million passengers in 2016, even though its planned capacity is only 25 million per year until 2025.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam, the runway should be at least 2,600m long and 1,750m away from the current runway to ensure safety. 

The Prime Minister also urged relevant authorities to speed up work on Long Thành International Airport in Đồng Nai Province, which will serve as the region’s main airport and will be backed up by Tân Sơn Nhất. — VNS