Ho Chi Minh City's new airport to break ground on 5 January

On 5 January, the newly planned airport for Ho Chi Minh City will break ground. The airport, which will be called Long Thanh International Airport, will become the city's main international and cargo hub and provide much needed relief to its current Tan Son Nhat International Airport. This airport was designed to handle up to 25 million passengers per year, but pre-COVID saw more than 40 million passengers passing through.

The new Long Thanh International Airport will be developed in three phases. Phase 1, which is starting on 5 January, will see the construction of a new terminal, a new single runway, taxiways and aprons, as well as a connection to the road and rail infrastructure of Ho Chi Minh City. It's planned to be finished in 2025 and will be able to handle 25 million passengers.

Phase 2 will add another runway and terminal, increasing capacity to 50 million and Phase 3 plans another two terminals and runways, bringing the total capacity to 100 million passengers per year.

The government will also invest in the "old" Tan Son Nhat Airport, which will get a new terminal that is planned to be completed by 2023. In total the country will invest more than 15 billion USD in its airports until 2030.

Illustration by Long Thanh International Airport.