Hanoi (VNA) – Handover of land for Long ThanhInternational Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai must be completednext June, Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh ordered at a meeting with relevantministries and the provincial People’s Committee held via video teleconference onDecember 9.

Speaking at the event, Ministry of Transport Nguyen Van Thevoiced concerns over slow progress on clearing site for the project whichstarted in 2018. The development of resettlement zones has failed to completethis year and may last through May 2022, causing delays in relocating affectedresidents, he said.

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) sets to start groundlevelling in March next year. The process alone requires over 2,500 hectares ofland, including 1,810 hectares of land for construction of the airport and 722hectares in reserve.

The project has received some 1,280 hectares, or 71 percent,of the needed land from Dong Nai in the first handover. Another 200 hectareswill be handed over before December 15.

Deputy PM Thanh stressed that Long ThanhInternational Airport is the nation’s key project given priority attention bythe Government, and required relevant ministries, agencies, the provincialadministration and contractors to focus on implementing the project.

He urged them to stick to the schedule, saying “only oneunit staying off track can slow others down.”

He agreed with the Ministry of Transport’s proposal to establisha steering committee for the project as part of the effort to accelerate itsprogress.

He demanded the Dong Nai People’s Committee to handover 1,810 hectares of land for ground levelling this month, while theremaining 700 hectares must be released in January 2022. Site clearance for theproject must be finished in June next year.

The Ministry of Transport has to assign a specific deadlinefor each of the project’s components, the official said, adding that the goalis to complete the first phase of the airport before January 2025.

Long Thanh International Airport will be built in threephases over three decades, and is expected to become the country’s largestairport.

In the first phase, one runway with a length of 4,000m,taxiways, an apron, and a passenger terminal with other auxiliary workssprawling 373,000 sq.m will be built to serve 25 million passengers and 1.2million tonnes of cargo each year.

Total cost for the airport construction amounts to 336.63 trillion VND (14.5 billion USD),with the first phase needing over 109 trillion VND./.