Around VND23 trillion (US$987 million) will be distributed so construction and resettlement can begin once the clearance plan is approved.
On Monday, Transport Minister Nguyen Van The informed the ongoing National Assembly that once the authorities give the plan the green light, which is likely to happen next month, funds will immediately be available. Three Japanese and two Vietnamese contractors have already signed deals with the ministry for the work.
According to The, in March this year, the Dong Nai People’s Committee submitted a complete plan on site clearance for the airport to the central government. The plan was resubmitted again in July. As of now, it has been assessed and could get the nod of approval in November with the disbursement of funds for site clearance beginning soon after.
VietnamNews gave a less optimistic assessment of the situation last week. While not giving any specific time-frames, they cited authorities' claims that progress is lagging behind schedule because the People’s Committee lacks experience in carrying out feasibility study reports on land clearance as well as making environmental impact assessments.
The feasibility study must be completed before any work can actually begin. The minister said, "The five contractors are speeding up their work to finish the feasibility study for the first phase of the project and are expected to finish it in July next year."
Clearing the land will include the relocation of about 200 households in addition to an area occupied by the Dong Nai Rubber Corporation (DONARUCO).
The long-planned Long Thanh International Airport will take pressure off the overwhelmed Tan Son Nhat International Airport and serve as the major international hub in the south. The first of three construction stages is set to be finished in 2025, allowing it to support 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo annually.
Phases two and three will occur between 2030-2035 and 2040-2050 to bring the airport's full capacity to 100 million passengers and five million tons of cargo each year. Investment in the first phase is estimated at VND114 trillion (US$4.87 billion) and comes from the state budget, government bonds and private investment.
Despite it being yet another lotus-inspired design, the new airport is attracting international excitement. CNN recently named it as one of 16 forthcoming airport terminals they are looking forward to visiting.
[Photo via Zing]
