Why is the progress of Long Thanh Airport Component 4 Project being 'repeated' many times?

Is the Civil Aviation Authority competent?

The Long Thanh Airport Construction Investment Project Phase 1 consists of 4 component projects. In which, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction) to preside over the selection of investors for Component Project 4.

At the end of March 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha issued a directive, assigning this Ministry to proactively coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment (old), Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (old), and Public Security to urgently deploy necessary work according to regulations to promptly select investors for this component.

Not long after that, the Government leader continued to request the Ministry of Transport to establish a Working Group headed by a Deputy Minister, with members including representatives from the Ministries of Planning and Investment, Natural Resources and Environment, Finance, Construction (formerly), Public Security, State Capital Management Committee at Enterprises, Vietnam Airports Corporation (ACV)...; at the same time, requested immediate support and capacity building for the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam through mobilizing and using experienced officers and experts in organizing the selection of contractors and investors from the Departments, Divisions, and specialized Project Management Boards of the Ministry of Transport and ACV experts to promptly implement the project.

Along with that, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha also requested the Ministry of Transport to direct the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to review all projects and works under Component Project 4 (logistics area, express cargo terminal, cargo warehouse, solar power system, etc.), determine which projects the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam can implement to meet the requirements on quality and progress; any projects that are not capable of implementation must be reported to the Deputy Prime Minister to assign ACV to implement.

After a year of struggling to implement, in early December 2024, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (Ministry of Transport) was able to announce the names of investors of the first three aviation service projects under Component Project 4, namely: Project for Investment in Construction and Business of Aircraft Maintenance Services No. 4; Project for Investment in Construction and Business of Repair and Maintenance Services of Aviation Vehicles, Equipment and Ground Technical Services No. 2; Project for Investment in Construction and Business of Air Catering Services No. 2.

In early March 2025, based on the report of the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction) on the review of responsibilities for the slow implementation of Component Project 4, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the Ministry of Construction to learn from experience in organizing the implementation of assigned tasks in this project.

On March 20, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh inspected the construction progress of Long Thanh Airport and directed relevant units to strive to basically complete the project by December 2025.

If you are behind schedule, replace people.

It is known that, near the time when the progress was considered "hot", the Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam - Mr. Dinh Viet Thang submitted an application for early retirement, and was approved by the Ministry. Mr. Thang's deputy, Mr. Pham Van Hao, was immediately transferred by the Ministry of Transport from this Authority to the Department of Enterprise Management (former Ministry of Transport).

To deal with the above personnel situation, the Minister of Transport assigned Chief of Office of the Ministry of Transport Uong Viet Dung to replace Mr. Dinh Viet Thang in the "seat" of Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

Recently, in an interview with PLVN on this issue, Deputy Minister of Construction Le Anh Tuan said that during this period, the Ministry and units related to Project Component 4 must make every effort. "The Prime Minister has requested a review, so we must be even more determined and resolute!", Mr. Tuan affirmed.

On March 20, during a working trip to inspect the Long Thanh Airport Project, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed concern that Component Project 4 had not yet been implemented in the field, although 6/6 priority items had selected investors.

It should be noted here that the projects with investors under Component Project 4 are important aviation service projects that need to be completed in sync with the progress of other construction items such as: Air Traffic Control Tower (Component Project 2) and Passenger Terminal and Runway (Component Project 3)...

Accordingly, after inspecting the site, grasping and removing difficulties and obstacles, and promoting the overall progress of the 4 component projects of Long Thanh Airport on March 20, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed that there must be high determination to basically complete Long Thanh Airport in 2025, earlier than before (completed in 2026). If the progress is not guaranteed, the person will be replaced, with the goal of conducting the first test flight at this airport in December 2025.

Vo Tuan