World · Vietnam Bureau
Long Thanh Airport faces labour crunch ahead of imminent opening
Vietnam's $13 billion Long Thanh International Airport confronts significant staffing challenges that threaten to delay completion of critical infrastructure projects. The Ministry of Construction has flagged worker shortages and payment delays affecting four major construction packages, including the main passenger terminal.
LSN Vietnam ·
Long Thanh International Airport, Vietnam's most ambitious aviation infrastructure project, is racing against the clock as labour shortages and financial bottlenecks jeopardise timely completion just two months before the facility's scheduled opening. The Ministry of Construction has raised formal concerns about delays affecting multiple construction contracts, with particular focus on the passenger terminal—the airport's centrepiece facility.
Four major construction packages have been flagged as at-risk due to insufficient skilled workers and slower-than-expected payments to contractors. Industry observers note that the convergence of these challenges threatens to compound scheduling pressures across the broader project, which has been years in development at Long Thanh in Ho Chi Minh City's outlying Dong Nai province.
The $13 billion airport project represents a cornerstone of Vietnam's infrastructure modernisation strategy and is intended to significantly expand the country's aviation capacity. Officials have stressed the importance of meeting deadlines to accommodate the substantial passenger traffic already anticipated upon opening.
The Ministry of Construction has not publicly detailed remedial measures, though project administrators are reportedly working to secure additional workforce resources and accelerate payment processing to mitigate further delays. Industry sources indicate that securing specialised construction labour has proven particularly challenging in Vietnam's competitive employment market.