Long Thanh Airport Construction Progress – March 2026: Everything You Need to Know

Vietnam’s most ambitious infrastructure project is entering its most critical stretch. As of March 2026, Long Thanh International Airport (Sân Bay Long Thành) has passed the 74% overall completion mark and is racing toward a commercial launch in Q4 2026. This in-depth update covers everything: current construction status, key milestones, remaining challenges, connecting infrastructure, and what it all means for the surrounding real estate market.

What Is Long Thanh Airport? A Quick Project Overview

Long Thanh International Airport (Cảng Hàng Không Quốc Tế Long Thành) is Vietnam’s flagship national aviation project. Approved by the National Assembly in June 2015, it is being built on a 5,000-hectare site in Long Thanh District, Dong Nai Province — approximately 40 km east of Ho Chi Minh City.

Key Project Specifications – Phase 1

The full buildout spans three phases reaching ultimate capacity of 100 million passengers/year and 5 million tonnes of cargo/year, with 4 runways and 4 passenger terminals.

March 2026 Construction Update: Where Things Stand

Overall Completion Rate

According to reports from the Ministry of Construction and Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the total value of completed work across all sub-projects has reached approximately 74% of contract value as of late March 2026.

On March 29, 2026, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conducted his 10th on-site inspection of the project, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and leadership from multiple ministries, Dong Nai Province, and Ho Chi Minh City. The visit focused on identifying bottlenecks and accelerating completion.

Sub-Project Status Breakdown

Completed and Near-Completed Components

Several critical components are already finished or near-finished:

• ✅ Air Traffic Control Center — Completed
• ✅ Runway and Apron — Structurally complete
• ✅ T1 Access Road — Fully paved, landscaped with trees and flowers on both sides, open to traffic
• ✅ Fuel Supply System — Reached 77% completion; targeted to finish and begin trial operation by March 2026
• 🔄 Terminal T1 (Package 5.10) — Interior fit-out ongoing in rolling sequence; baggage carousels, X-ray systems, and passenger boarding bridges being installed
• 🔄 Internal Roads & Technical Infrastructure (Package 4.8) — Under accelerated construction; identified as a critical-path risk item

Key Milestones Leading to This Point

Understanding the current state requires looking at the project’s recent trajectory:

Milestone Note: The successful landing of three technical test flights on December 19, 2025 was a landmark moment — proving the runway, apron, and navigation systems are operationally sound just over two years after the main construction began.

The Revised Timeline: Commercial Launch in Q4 2026

Why the Timeline Shifted

The original target was commercial launch in June 2026. That deadline has since been revised. The Prime Minister’s March 29 directive now sets:

• Construction completion deadline: No later than September 2026 (Q3 2026)
• Commercial operations launch: Q4 2026

Several factors contributed to this shift:

• Payment and procurement bottlenecks — From January 26, 2026 onward, payments across multiple construction packages were suspended pending regulatory guidance. This disrupted cash flow for contractors.
• Package 4.8 delays — Internal road network and technical utility systems are on the critical path, and late handover of cleared land from ACV to sub-project 4 investors caused cascading delays.
• Package 5.10 (Terminal building) — Flagged as a high-risk item given remaining volume of interior work.
• Labor constraints — The workforce peaked at over 15,000 during the push to hit the December 2025 flight milestone but dropped afterward. The current figure of ~8,951 workers (as of March 24) is below the stated need of 14,000 for optimal progress.
• Material and fuel price volatility — Rising costs of key construction inputs are straining contractor economics.

What the Government Is Doing

The Prime Minister issued specific directives on March 29, including:

• Forming a dedicated task force led by a Vice Minister of Finance to resolve payment and procurement issues at Packages 4.8 and 5.10
• Forming a separate task force for material and fuel price adjustments
• Directing the Ministry of Public Security to investigate and resolve any fraud or regulatory violations that are blocking payments to compliant contractors
• Urging ACV to restructure leadership and operationalize two working groups to clear bottlenecks
• Requiring all contractors to operate three shifts, four rotations — including weekends and holidays

Connecting Infrastructure: The Roads and Rail That Make Long Thanh Work

An airport is only as good as the connections leading to it. Dong Nai Province and related authorities are simultaneously advancing multiple transport projects:

Road Connections

Metro Connectivity (2030 Target)

Ho Chi Minh City has committed to accelerating three strategic metro lines, including the Thu Thiem – Long Thanh corridor, aiming to form a modern transit spine connecting Tan Son Nhat Airport with Long Thanh Airport by 2030.

Long Thanh Airport’s Strategic Significance

Relieving Tan Son Nhat

Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City — built during wartime and constrained by dense urban development — is operating well beyond comfortable capacity. Long Thanh is designed to absorb the overflow and serve as the primary international gateway for the entire Southern economic zone.

A Regional Aviation Hub

The full Long Thanh vision is ambitious: a strategic transit hub for Southeast Asia, comparable in scale to Singapore Changi or Bangkok Suvarnabhumi. When fully built out across three phases:

• 4 runways capable of handling the world’s largest commercial aircraft
• 4 passenger terminals
• 100 million passengers per year
• 5 million tonnes of cargo per year

Phase 2 (2030–2035) will add a second parallel runway and second terminal, pushing capacity to 50 million passengers/year. Phase 3 (2035–2045) completes the full 100-million design.

Economic Impact on Dong Nai and Long Thanh District

The construction and eventual operation of Sân Bay Long Thành is already reshaping the local economy:

• Long Thanh District has seen sustained growth in industrial park development, logistics facilities, and residential real estate
• Land values in townships near the airport — including Long Thanh town, Phuoc Thai, and Tam An — have experienced significant appreciation over the past three years
• The airport city (aerotropolis) development concept is being actively planned, with hospitality, commercial, and logistics zones expected to follow the airport’s opening

Remaining Challenges to Watch

Despite the progress, several risk factors deserve monitoring through mid-2026:

1. Contractor payment resolution — If the payment freeze is not lifted quickly and sustainably, worker motivation and contractor capacity could deteriorate further.
2. Labor mobilization — Reaching the 14,000-worker threshold needed for full-speed construction is essential to meeting the Q3 2026 construction deadline.
3. Package 4.8 (Internal roads & utilities) — This package is on the critical path for operational synchronization across all terminal and ground service areas.
4. Package 5.10 (Terminal building) — The rolling fit-out method being used (complete-and-install section by section) is efficient but requires tight coordination.
5. Regulatory and inspection processes — Final acceptance and certification of aviation systems must follow construction completion, adding a time buffer before commercial flights can begin.

What This Means for Long Thanh Real Estate Investors

For property investors and businesses tracking Sân Bay Long Thành, the March 2026 update sends a clear signal: the airport is coming, the timeline is firm, and the government is fully committed.

Key takeaways:

• The Q4 2026 commercial launch target is backed by the highest level of political will — PM Pham Minh Chinh’s 10th personal site visit in March underscores this.
• Infrastructure surrounding the airport is converging — major expressways and ring roads are completing in April 2026, dramatically improving connectivity.
• Phase 2 planning is already underway — ACV has been designated as Phase 2 investor, and a feasibility study is in progress. This signals a long-term development pipeline that will sustain land value and business growth for decades.
• The aerotropolis opportunity — Long Thanh District is positioned to become one of Vietnam’s most important logistics and commercial hubs, a trajectory that will be locked in once commercial flights begin.

Summary: Long Thanh Airport March 2026 at a Glance

Conclusion

Sân Bay Long Thành is no longer a distant vision — it is a construction site that has already accepted test aircraft and is completing its final systems at a rapidly accelerating pace. March 2026 marks a pivotal moment: the government has locked in Q4 2026 as the commercial launch window, cleared the institutional path to resolving payment bottlenecks, and demonstrated unwavering political commitment through the Prime Minister’s continued personal involvement.

For residents, businesses, and investors in Long Thanh and Dong Nai Province, the message is clear: the transformation is imminent.

Want Deeper Insights on Long Thanh’s Development?

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Sources: Thanh Nien, VnExpress, Saigon Giai Phong, Doanh Nghiep Hoi Nhap, Bao Chinh Phu, VTC News, Bao Xay Dung, Bao Dan Tri — March 29, 2026.