Vietnam's $13B airport Long Thanh short of skilled workers two months before opening

Four packages are considered at risk: internal roads and technical infrastructure, the passenger terminal, Cargo Terminal No. 1 and its auxiliary works, and the parking building. Their delays matter because partial airport operations are due to begin on Dec. 24.

The passenger terminal is 86.85% complete, but important work remains. Contractors lack enough engineers, welders, and specialized installers. Sixteen of 51 integrated test scenarios also await approval, while most systems have not yet been tested. The roads package lacks workers and about 100,000 tons of asphalt concrete.

The energy center is another critical risk because it has not been fully installed or tested. Its readiness is required before the passenger terminal can operate. The ministry also reported slow paperwork, unpaid completed work, and contractors providing fewer workers and technical staff than promised.

Long Thanh Airport is a major airport project in Dong Nai, about 40 kilometers east of Ho Chi Minh City. It covers roughly 5,000 hectares and is being built in phases. Its first phase is designed for 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo annually.

Beginning with partial operations means the airport will start operating some facilities or functions on Dec. 24 rather than waiting for every planned component to be complete. The article does not specify exactly which services will begin. It does show that several packages remain at risk and that some systems still need testing.

This distinction matters because an airport cannot safely operate on construction progress alone. The passenger terminal, energy center, roads, equipment, and connected systems must be ready. The reported schedule therefore represents an initial operating target, not evidence that the entire project is finished.

Long Thanh is Vietnam’s largest airport by area, according to the article. It is located in Dong Nai, about 40 kilometers east of Ho Chi Minh City. The project’s total investment is VND336.63 trillion, or US$13 billion.

Its physical scale is about 5,000 hectares. That large footprint includes the airport’s essential facilities and supporting infrastructure. The first phase is planned to handle 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo each year. These figures describe the capacity planned for the initial stage.

The scale explains why many linked packages must progress together. Roads, terminals, cargo facilities, parking, energy, and technical systems all support the airport’s intended use. Current delays in four packages and unfinished system tests could therefore affect whether the planned partial opening can proceed as scheduled.

Airports Corporation of Vietnam, or ACV, is the investor in component project 3. That component covers Long Thanh’s essential facilities and was 86.03% complete by work value. ACV must coordinate delivery, resolve problems, and keep the packages moving toward operation.

Contractors carry out the construction and installation work. They are expected to provide the workers, technical staff, machinery, equipment, fuel, and materials promised to ACV. The ministry reported that contractors had not deployed enough personnel and that slow paperwork had created unpaid completed work.

The government ministry reviews progress and reports risks to the government. It told ACV to press contractors, identify responsibility when commitments are missed, and act under the contracts. It also ordered faster solutions for payments and approved-design changes. These roles connect oversight, investment management, and physical construction.

Airport construction depends on specialized skills and equipment because terminals contain complex electrical, mechanical, safety, and passenger systems. The terminal’s contractors are struggling to recruit engineers, welders, and specialized equipment installers. Without those workers, finished structures cannot quickly become functioning facilities.

Materials are equally practical. The internal roads and technical infrastructure package still needs about 100,000 tons of asphalt concrete, but supply is severely short. Payment delays create another bottleneck. Slow paperwork has left completed work unpaid, and some packages have received little money compared with the work already done.

Together, these shortages slow installation, testing, and site activity. The ministry said contractors also failed to provide as many workers and technical staff as promised. ACV must push them to supply resources and resolve payment issues so construction can regain speed and remain aligned with the operating target.

An airport terminal is a connected system, not just a completed building. Its power, water supply, drainage, air conditioning, ventilation, firefighting, and specialized equipment must operate together. Integrated load tests check whether those links work under realistic conditions before passengers use the facility.

Long Thanh’s terminal has 51 such test scenarios. Only power supply, lighting, and the public address system have been tested so far under approved scenarios. Sixteen scenarios still await approval, and the other systems have not been tested. The energy center also remains incompletely installed and untested.

This makes testing a direct operating requirement. The energy center’s readiness is a prerequisite for the terminal to function. The investor has not yet set a date to finish the tests, so the Dec. 24 partial-operations target still carries uncertainty even though the terminal structure is complete.

Large infrastructure projects rely on several linked conditions. Labor builds and installs the facilities. Materials make roads and structures usable. Contracts define commitments and remedies. Cash flow pays for completed work. Testing confirms that separate systems can operate together safely.

Long Thanh illustrates the connection. Contractors have not supplied all promised workers and technical staff. The roads package lacks asphalt, while slow paperwork has delayed payments. The terminal has a finished structure but incomplete systems testing. The energy center still needs installation and test runs before the terminal can operate.

A delay in one area can hold back others. Unpaid work can reduce site activity, missing materials can slow access infrastructure, and unfinished tests can prevent opening even when construction looks advanced. ACV must coordinate contractors and enforce contracts, while the ministry tracks risks and demands corrective action.