Taking Vietnam's airport system off the ground

On the afternoon of August 31, the three most important bidding packages of the Long Thanh International Airport project (Dong Nai) and Tan Son Nhat Terminal T3 (HCMC) with a total value of up to 53,000 billion VND were simultaneously started.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh pressed the button to start construction of Long Thanh International Airport terminal and Tan Son Nhat T3 terminal - Photo: VGP

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh pressed the button to start construction of three packages, including Long Thanh airport terminal and Tan Son Nhat T3 terminal. This event marks an important milestone in bringing Vietnam's airport system to the world.

The "heart" of the airport is started

The two packages of the Long Thanh airport construction investment project phase 1 include package 5.10 for construction and installation of passenger terminal equipment and package 4.6 for construction and installation of runway, taxiway, and aircraft parking equipment.

The investment value of package 5.10 is 35,000 billion VND and package 4.6 is worth more than 7,300 billion VND. This project is considered the "heart" of Long Thanh airport.

Meanwhile, package 12 for the construction of passenger terminal T3 at Tan Son Nhat airport has a total investment of VND10,990 billion.

Perspective of Tan Son Nhat T3 terminal - Source: ACV

At the Long Thanh airport construction site, the contractor deployed trucks and machinery in full force. Workers were busy deploying plans to begin construction immediately after the groundbreaking ceremony.

Mr. Lai Xuan Thanh - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Airports Corporation (ACV) - said that two major projects are gradually taking shape with large-scale items, high-value packages and the most technically complex projects currently.

"ACV commits to devoting all resources, improving project management capacity, directing, closely controlling and coordinating with contractors to complete projects on schedule and with high quality," said Mr. Thanh.

Regarding the capital source for the project, Mr. Thanh affirmed that ACV ensures enough capital to supply and balance the projects in the next 3 years. ACV is working and agreeing with the lending bank to reduce the foreign currency loan portion.

According to the original plan, ACV would borrow 2.1 billion USD in foreign currency, but after rebalancing the capital source, the company only borrowed about 1.7 - 1.8 billion USD. Below 2 billion USD, ACV is arranged capital by state-owned banks such as BIDV, Vietcombank, VietinBank. Therefore, talking about capital sources, ACV is still confident, if there is a shortage, there is still room to borrow.

Graphics: TUAN ANH

Contractors are excited, airlines are making big plans

Speaking to Tuoi Tre on August 31, a representative of Hawee Electromechanical Joint Stock Company (a member of the Vietur consortium) said that this enterprise as well as the contractors participating in the consortium have had a long time to prepare and are ready to construct and install items in the airport.

The company said it has prepared hundreds of workers and engineers, and during the peak period of equipment installation, there will be about 700-800 workers at the construction site. According to this person, because the station is a low-rise building with a structure mainly made of steel, construction will be quick and the installation of the electromechanical system will be easy.

In terms of technology, this person said that prestigious manufacturers in the world support, provide solutions, equipment and experts, so it will not be difficult for electromechanical contractors. In addition, domestic and foreign companies and suppliers have also committed to delivery progress.

As for this enterprise, the contractor has also prepared progress scenarios for each stage, arranged a management board diagram, and assigned the most experienced staff of the enterprise to participate in the project. Therefore, the representative of this enterprise assessed that this bid package is large in scale, not difficult in construction, so it will ensure progress in terms of electromechanics.

Perspective of Long Thanh airport terminal

Meanwhile, Phuc Hung Holdings Construction Joint Stock Company also said that package 5.10 (Long Thanh airport passenger terminal project) is the package with the largest scale, most complex technical characteristics and longest construction time among the project's packages.

Phuc Hung Holdings said that with the experience, capacity, resources and sense of responsibility of the contractor consortium, this enterprise and the contractors of the Vietur consortium are determined to complete the project on schedule with the highest quality.

Speaking with Tuoi Tre , Mr. Dang Ngoc Hoa - Chairman of Vietnam Airlines - said that recently, the overloaded aviation infrastructure has greatly affected airlines, including Vietnam Airlines.

To compete with regional airlines, Mr. Hoa assessed that aviation infrastructure plays a very important role. Vietnam Airlines not only transports passengers from point A to point B but also aims to be a transit gateway for world aviation. In particular, Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat airports will play the role of "bases" to transfer passengers to all parts of the world.

In the future, Long Thanh airport will be a world-class airport. Vietnam Airlines has plans to increase its international flight network, especially transcontinental flights, to bring tourists and investors to the "super airport" Long Thanh.

"Not only Vietnam Airlines but also airlines in the Skyteam alliance will exploit Long Thanh airport, competing with airports in the Asian region" - Mr. Hoa expected.

The Prime Minister presents gifts to officials and workers at the construction sites of two projects - Photo: VGP

Prime Minister: Need to keep on schedule

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony at Long Thanh airport, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shared that in recent years, aviation infrastructure has been upgraded and expanded but has not kept up with the growth rate of national and international development. Many airports are overloaded both in the air and on the ground, especially Tan Son Nhat. "We are constantly renovating but cannot keep up with the development of the country," said the Prime Minister. According to the Prime Minister, the Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat international airport projects are two particularly large projects, playing an important role in the national aviation system, in national defense and regional security, making Vietnam a major transportation hub in the region and the world. "Long Thanh is among the 16 most anticipated airports in the world, demonstrating our aspirations to rise. This airport is expected to make Vietnam an attractive destination on the world aviation map. Hopefully, with the experience and strong direction of the leaders, the project will be ahead of schedule. Today's groundbreaking ceremony is an important event, a mark of common development. The task ahead is still very heavy, so in order for the project to be completed safely and on schedule, it is necessary to strengthen supervision, inspection, and promotion with the common goal of ensuring the project's progress as planned in the bidding plan," he directed. Regarding the quality of the project, he requested relevant ministries, branches and localities to work together to remove difficulties and problems that arise during the construction process as well as supervise the projects to ensure quality. Do not let negativity and waste occur. Besides, it is necessary to pay attention to the lives of workers and project participants...

Passengers check in at Tan Son Nhat airport during Tet holiday - Photo: TTD

Step by step recruitment to keep up with the progress

This is what Mr. Lai Xuan Thanh shared when talking about the difficulties after the groundbreaking ceremony. According to the ACV chairman, human resources for the construction of two major projects is a huge challenge that must be overcome. Finding people who understand the work and can perform important tasks well is not easy. ACV is searching and recruiting to gradually arrange for stages that are suitable for the overall progress of the project. Regarding machinery and equipment, ACV has asked contractors to ensure adequate means to serve the project. "The site is ready, after the ceremony, we will start construction immediately" - Mr. Thanh emphasized.

Units start construction - Photo: VGP

Vietur joint venture commits to complete in 39 months

Mr. Ibrahim Çeçen, Chairman of IC Itas - the leading unit of the Vietur consortium, which won the VND35,000 billion contract, expects Long Thanh airport to be ready to become the new pearl of Asia and said that the Vietur consortium with the participation of construction contractors from Vietnam has fully prepared and committed to completing the first phase of this important project. "The Vietur consortium commits to completing the construction of the passenger terminal of the Long Thanh International Airport project phase 1 in a maximum of 39 months with construction quality according to the highest international standards" - the representative of the Vietur consortium committed.

Japanese Supervision Contractor: Construction Coordination is Extremely Important

Mr. Yamada - project director of the JAC-Coninco Construction Supervision Joint Venture, and also a staff member of Japan Airport Consultants - said that the workload after the groundbreaking ceremony was extremely large. When the site was ready, many new challenges began. Many construction items were deployed simultaneously, such as the passenger terminal, runway, taxiway, aircraft parking lot, traffic system, air traffic control tower, requiring extremely precise coordination of construction organization. The project also required a very urgent construction schedule with a budget set according to Vietnamese unit prices but still had to ensure the best quality. However, with his experience in supervision along with a team of engineers from Japan and a team of Vietnamese engineers, Mr. Yamada committed to focusing all resources, proactively coordinating with the investor ACV and construction contractors, closely supervising the construction to ensure the highest progress and quality of the passenger terminal project, contributing to the overall success of the Long Thanh airport project phase 1.

Terminal T3 of Tan Son Nhat airport is expected to be constructed in 20 months and put into operation from the second quarter of 2025. Representing the project contractors, Major General Nguyen Huu Ngoc - Commander of Corps 12 (Truong Son Construction Corporation) - promised the Prime Minister, leaders of the Party, State, local authorities and people that he will focus all resources from human resources, finance, equipment to organize the construction vigorously, in accordance with technical procedures, determined to complete the project on schedule and with the best quality.

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