Southeast Asia has entered a high-stakes infrastructure race unlike anything seen before. Passenger traffic across the region has already crossed the 100-million mark annually, and the upward trajectory shows no signs of slowing. As tourism surges and global trade deepens, nations are racing to secure dominance in air connectivity. The prize is enormous: becoming the primary aviation gateway for one of the fastest-growing regions on Earth.
At the heart of this contest lies one of the most ambitious airport projects ever conceived—Vietnam’s Long Thanh International Airport.
With a projected investment of $16 billion, the airport is being built across an immense 5,000-hectare site, dwarfing many of the world’s existing aviation hubs. Once operational, it will not only be the largest airport in Southeast Asia but one of the largest anywhere on the planet. The scale is breathtaking—but the risks are equally vast.
The Coming Aviation Explosion
Forecasts indicate that air travel across Southeast Asia could more than triple over the next 20 years. This growth is being fueled by powerful demographic and economic shifts. Rising incomes across Asia, especially within China and India, are unlocking mass international travel for hundreds of millions of people. Southeast Asia, with its strategic location and expanding economies, has become a natural focal point.
Despite this growth, the region lacks a single, uncontested mega-hub comparable to Europe or North America’s largest gateways. That gap has triggered an aggressive expansion race.
Singapore’s Changi Airport currently leads the region, already handling around 60 million passengers annually. Yet even this powerhouse is expanding, with a $10-billion Terminal 5 set to push total capacity toward 150 million passengers in the coming decades.
Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines are following suit, each expanding or constructing airports designed to handle 100 million or more passengers per year. Against this backdrop, Vietnam has chosen not to incrementally expand—but to redefine its position entirely.
Why Vietnam Is Betting Big
Vietnam’s existing main gateway, Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN), processes roughly 40 million passengers annually. While that number may seem manageable, the airport is already operating beyond its practical limits. Located deep within Ho Chi Minh City, it is surrounded by dense urban development, leaving no room for meaningful expansion.
As tourism accelerates and trade volumes increase, Vietnam faces a structural bottleneck. Long Thanh is designed to eliminate that constraint permanently.
Long Thanh is not intended merely as a relief airport. The project is part of a “two-airport strategy”: Tan Son Nhat will remain open, likely serving domestic flights and low-cost carriers, while Long Thanh will handle approximately 80% of international arrivals, positioning Vietnam as a central transfer hub for the region.
A Monumental Vision
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| Long Thanh International Airport |
When fully complete, Long Thanh International Airport will feature four massive terminals, architecturally inspired by the lotus flower—Vietnam’s national emblem. These terminals will be supported by four ultra-long runways, each measuring 4,000 meters, capable of handling the world’s largest aircraft.
The project is divided into three major development phases, allowing capacity to scale with demand.
Before construction could begin, the site—once heavily forested—required massive earthworks. Thousands of unexploded ordnance (UXO) from the Vietnam War had to be located and safely removed across the 5,000-hectare site to ensure it was safe for the enormous fleet of machines tasked with reshaping the land. Only after this could the full clearing and leveling operations proceed.
Thousands of machines then reshaped the terrain in one of the largest earthmoving operations in Vietnam’s history.
Engineering on a Global Scale
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| The concourse will feature a complex clear span roof spanning 82m © Heerim Design Architects |
The first terminal alone covers 373,000 square meters across four levels. Its structure combines reinforced concrete with a steel superframe engineered to support a vast clear-span roof extending 82 meters without internal columns. This design creates wide, open interior spaces essential for modern passenger flow.
The roof system consists of multiple steel layers engineered for strength, insulation, and durability, requiring thousands of tons of material.
Outside the terminal, construction has advanced on the first runway, while a 123-meter control tower, shaped like a lotus bud, rises nearby. Surrounding the entire site is an 8.6-kilometer perimeter wall, securing the massive development zone.
Fact-Check & Data Updates (As of January 2026)
To keep pace with recent developments, Long Thanh has now reached several important milestones:
- Opening Date: The technical opening occurred on December 19, 2025, with full commercial operations planned for mid-2026.
- Runway Status: The first 4,000-meter runway is fully complete. Construction on the second runway began in May 2025, and in late 2025 the government fast-tracked its development to ensure redundancy for the 2026 launch. It is now slightly ahead of the previously reported 20% mark.
- Terminal Progress: The main Lotus-inspired terminal is now over 70% complete.
- Connectivity: The HCMC–Long Thanh–Dau Giay Expressway is being expanded to 8–10 lanes to handle the anticipated passenger flow during the 2026 launch.
The project’s scale can be summarised as follows:
An airport of this magnitude cannot function in isolation. Major highway upgrades are underway to connect the site to Ho Chi Minh City, while two planned rail lines aim to provide faster, more efficient access, reducing dependence on road travel.
Environmental and Social Strain
The project has faced significant challenges. One of the most disruptive has been dust pollution. The site’s red basalt soil produces dense clouds when disturbed, and construction activity sent plumes drifting kilometres beyond the airport boundary. The issue was particularly severe during 2023–2024.
In response, the government introduced stricter green construction protocols in 2025. Yet community tensions remain a critical issue: over 5,000 households were relocated, making Long Thanh one of the largest resettlement efforts in modern Vietnamese history. Land compensation and displacement concerns continue to be sensitive topics among affected communities.
The Price of Iconic Design
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| Image Only For Representation |
The airport’s striking lotus-inspired architecture has also drawn scrutiny. Curved structures are far more expensive and complex to build than traditional designs. Concrete becomes brittle under curvature stress, while shaping thick steel elements demands advanced engineering and higher labour costs.
When Long Thanh was first proposed in 2006, Vietnam was only beginning its economic ascent. Although growth has been rapid, concerns remain that the enormous investment could strain public finances over the long term.
A Measured Gamble
So, does Vietnam truly need an airport of this scale?
Recent data suggests demand is accelerating rapidly. In early 2025, Vietnam recorded one of the highest growth rates in international arrivals worldwide, outperforming much of the Asia-Pacific region. Combined with long-term aviation forecasts, the case for expanded capacity is strong.
Still, competition is intense. Neighboring hubs are expanding from positions of strength, while Long Thanh must prove itself from the ground up.
What makes the strategy viable is its phased execution. By expanding in stages, capacity can be aligned with real demand, reducing the risk of underutilization.
The Race Ahead
Singapore’s Changi Airport remains the frontrunner, benefiting from scale, reputation, and timing. Yet Southeast Asia’s growth may be vast enough to support multiple global aviation hubs.
Long Thanh may not claim the crown first—but its sheer scale, strategic location, and long-term vision position it as a future heavyweight in global aviation.
The race is far from over, and Southeast Asia’s skies are only just beginning to fill.
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