Lawmakers back Long Thanh airport project Van Ly By Van Ly – The Saigon Times Daily HANOI – During a debate at the ongoing sitting of the National Assembly (NA) last Friday, most NA deputies threw support behind the controversial Long Thanh Airport project but told the Government to carefully weigh it and clarify many issues. An urgent project Deputy Nguyen Phi Thuong of Hanoi said the big-ticket plan to build Long Thanh airport on 5,000 hectares is not only necessary but also urgent as Vietnam, having a large population and integrating deeply into the global economy, is without a major international airport. Besides, an international airport in Dong Nai Province, which borders HCMC, will deliver efficiency given sufficient transport infrastructure like HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway and Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway which are underway. The project, which will require an estimated US$18.7 billion, of which around US$7.8 billion will be spent on first one that will be complete by 2025, is crucial to economic development in the southern key economic zone. Regarding the urgency of the project, Thuong said Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC would be overloaded in the coming years while its expansion is hard as the airport is inside HCMC. Moreover, Tan Son Nhat airport’s airspace is increasingly crowded as Bien Hoa airbase is located nearby and is near the border with Cambodia. Nguyen Cao Son, NA deputy of Hoa Binh Province, also agreed on the necessity and urgency of Long Thanh project. He added airports… [Read full story]
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