Long Thanh International Airport Project: Challenges and opportunities

​At the meeting, the National Assembly (NA) has focused discussion on the need to invest in the construction of Long Thanh international airport, conformity with the planning of socio-economic development, transport development planning. The investment plan, capital mobilization, investment allocation, time and total project investment, socio-economic efficiency of projects, compensation, support and resettlement were also commented by Members 

The majority of the Members approved the investment policy of Long Thanh international airport project to create new momentum for the process of industrialization and modernization of the country. The purpose of choosing Long Thanh for investment in accordance with the planning of economic development - the country's social is consistent with the general plan of socio-economic development of the country as well as planning of economic development of the southern key area and development of the transport sector.

Member Truong Van Vo-Dong Nai Delegation said, the construction of Long Thanh international airport is the opportunity to undertake economic development strategic of the country until 2020 that the resolutions of the Congress has determined, while promoting the geopolitical advantages of the country which is considered safe, political stability, advantage of the dynamic developing  southern key economic area, strategic development of the country, especially attractive for investment in the present and future of the dynamic economic region

This is a project in accordance with the planning system approved since 2005 to present. That's the master plan for development of transport, master plan for socio-economic development of South-Eastern key economic area, Ho Chi Minh City urban planning, socio-economic development and land use planning in Dong Nai Province; 

The Members also disturbed by the economic situation the country is facing many difficulties, large public debt, concerns about plans for raising capital, the ability to repay the investment in construction of major capital projects like this will affect national financial security.

According to Member Truong Van Vo, this is a difficult problem, but the solution is to set out the conditions at this session, the National Assembly delegates agreed to consider for policy formulation to the next session of the National Assembly to review the decision of the owner investment policy on the basis of the specific arguments, more clearly the issues that the National Assembly interested in the direction of clarifying the impact of the project on the competitiveness of other airports in the region and clear arguments on strategic position that airports achieve in the future, project planning agencies should consider the scale of capital resources, the scale of land for this project is to mobilize resources from international capital markets and the private sector.

Member Truong Van Vo proposed to determine the choice of investors, including consider calling investors from the private sector and continue to review and complete the plans and clearly announce the schedule for implementation of compensation and resettlement, including processor supporting vocational training and employment projects for residential areas, this is the need to take one step forward by law. The authorities need to uphold the spirit of openness and transparency about the feasibility of the project to the National Assembly soon consider the investment policy decisions to create confidence among the people, will turn challenges into opportunities, creating important motivation in the process of implementing objectives of industrialization, modernization of the country

According Member Duong Trung Quoc-Dong Nai Delegation, should have policies to call foreign investors to take advantage of capital and management experience of the advanced countries in the world, need to pay more attention to the idea of social criticism and invite the experts, the independent domestic and international organization to objectively appraise the project as a basis for NA to consider the investment policy through the project.

There are deputies’ proposal to reconsider the urgency of the project to decide the right investment point and how investment allocation for rational, effective, considering the scale of projects using large land especially recalculated total investment cost compared to other airports in the region of the same size and clarify the efficiency of investment, the socio-economic impact, clarify land acquisition plan once or several times and the compensation and resettlement to create a consensus of people in the region of project, recalculate the forecast number of passenger growth as well as the volume of goods on the basis of the Long Thanh put into use, it has fully exploited the capacity of Tan Son Nhat.