Long Thanh Airport Project must work around the clock, racing against time: Minister of Construction

Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh inspects the construction progress of the Long Thanh Airport passenger terminal. Photo: Pham Tung

According to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), overall project completion has now exceeded 76 percent. Contractors are accelerating work across all construction packages, maintaining a continuous three-shift, four-team schedule day and night while participating in the nationwide 180-day emulation campaign to accelerate the completion of the Long Thanh International Airport project.

The construction site currently employs more than 6,800 workers, an increase of over 6.5 percent compared with late May 2026. However, the project still faces a shortage of nearly 2,000 personnel, particularly skilled technicians and operators of specialized equipment. To address the shortfall, some contractors have mobilized military personnel to support construction activities.

The construction site currently employs more than 6,800 workers, an increase of over 6.5 percent compared with late May 2026. However, the project still faces a shortage of nearly 2,000 personnel, particularly skilled technicians and operators of specialized equipment. To address the shortfall, some contractors have mobilized military personnel to support construction activities.

Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh discusses with representatives of units at the Long Thanh Airport passenger terminal construction site. Photo: Pham Tung

Nguyen Duc Hung, Acting General Director of ACV, said the investor has instructed contractors to increase staffing levels beyond minimum requirements in order to maintain continuous day-and-night operations and complete critical components before adverse weather conditions during the rainy season affect progress. Several major items have achieved significant milestones. The underground tunnel system has been completed, the electricity supply for construction activities is fully available, and only seven final girder segments remain to be installed on the elevated roadway in front of the passenger terminal.

Speaking during the inspection, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh stressed that the guiding principle for the project is clear: “There can be no delay. We must move forward and race against time.” He instructed all involved parties to comprehensively review construction workloads and payment documentation, while ensuring appropriate care and support for engineers and workers who continue working around the clock on site.

Regarding finishing works, the minister emphasized a “complete-as-you-go” approach, ensuring that construction progress is synchronized with landscaping and site beautification efforts. Areas that have been completed should be immediately cleaned, landscaped, and planted with grass and trees during the rainy season to enhance the airport’s appearance. “Wherever work is completed, it must immediately be made clean and attractive so that the transformation of the construction site is clearly visible,” the minister said.

Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh presents gifts to encourage the forces constructing the Long Thanh Airport Project. Photo: Pham Tung

He also called on project investors and contractors to coordinate with military forces to clean the site, improve landscaping, and plant trees across the site.

Particular attention was given to the airport’s internal transportation network, which the minister described as a decisive factor in ensuring the airport’s synchronized operation once completed. He instructed contractors to maximize construction speed, especially on the elevated roadway in front of the terminal, by deploying additional personnel and reallocating resources to accelerate supporting works after the main structural components are finished. “If necessary, work must continue day and night to recover lost time and accelerate progress,” Minister Tran Hong Minh emphasized.