The Standing Committee of the National Assembly is concerned about the scale of the Long Thanh airport project.

On the morning of February 26th, continuing the program of the 35th session, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly discussed the investment policy for the construction of Long Thanh International Airport.

Perspective view of Long Thanh Airport.

At the 8th session of the 13th National Assembly, based on the Government's submission and the Economic Committee's verification report, the National Assembly discussed the Long Thanh International Airport construction investment project in committees and in the plenary session.

To further clarify some aspects of the project, the Economic Committee organized a working group to conduct a field survey of Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Bien Hoa military airport, and the planned site for Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai province; worked with the 370th Division, Air Defense-Air Force Command (the unit managing national defense land at Tan Son Nhat Airport and Bien Hoa military airport), Vietnam Airports Corporation, the People's Committee of Dong Nai province, and listened to expert opinions...

The report of the Economic Committee on several major issues with differing opinions regarding the Long Thanh International Airport construction project, submitted to the National Assembly Standing Committee, states that the investment in the construction of Long Thanh International Airport is necessary.

To meet the socio-economic development requirements of the country, Long Thanh's location offers many advantages for construction, especially the connecting transportation system that has been and is being invested in, including the main expressway Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay, which has just been put into operation.

However, the Economic Committee suggested reviewing and recalculating the project's area to determine if it is necessary to use 5,000 hectares of land, as a large portion of 2,250 hectares is not directly related to the project, including 1,050 hectares for defense purposes and 1,200 hectares for auxiliary facilities and the construction of an aviation industrial park.

Chairman of the National Assembly's Finance and Budget Committee, Phung Quoc Hien, speaks at the session. Photo: VNA.

During the discussion, many opinions within the National Assembly Standing Committee basically agreed with the assessments and proposals of the National Assembly's Economic Committee. However, to ensure a solid basis and convince the National Assembly, the Long Thanh International Airport construction project needs to focus on refining and clarifying some specific contents.

Chairman of the Finance and Budget Committee, Phung Quoc Hien, proposed reviewing the scale and passenger forecasts to determine the purpose of building Long Thanh International Airport as a transit hub. The delegate cited expert opinions suggesting that Long Thanh International Airport would struggle to fulfill its transit role because, upon completion, it would only serve as a transit hub for three countries: Indonesia, the Philippines, and Australia.

However, Indonesia and the Philippines are very close to Long Thanh, making it difficult to utilize their transit functions. Therefore, Long Thanh International Airport can only serve as a transit hub for Australia. Clarifying this point is crucial to affirming the necessity of the project," Chairman Phung Quoc Hien emphasized.

Regarding the total investment, capital mobilization plan, and investment phasing, the Government has reviewed the unit prices and investment levels. The review shows that the total investment for Phase 1 of the Project is US$5,236 million, a reduction of approximately US$2,601.6 million compared to the estimate submitted to the National Assembly. The capital structure is as follows: ODA US$1,389.4 million (26.53%), State budget US$578.3 million (11.05%), and capital from enterprises, shares, PPPs, etc. US$3,268.8 million (62.42%).

During the discussion on this matter, some members of the National Assembly Standing Committee suggested continuing to review and ensure the accuracy of the total investment capital for the entire project (3 phases), avoiding large increases in investment costs during implementation; and developing feasible capital mobilization plans based on the balance of the state budget and public debt issues...

Even the reduction in unit prices and investment levels for phase 1 requires a detailed explanation of the reasons for the reduction... Chairman of the Legal Committee Phan Trung Ly and several others suggested that the report should clarify the capital recovery mechanism of the Project...

During the working session, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly discussed and provided specific opinions on the following issues: compensation, support and resettlement, ensuring livelihoods for people after relocation; overlapping airspace; finalizing the environmental impact assessment report of the project...

According to Vietnam+