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New airports, high-speed rails, Olympic complex: Vietnam shifts into top gear

The once-in-a-decade fiscal splurge for infrastructure build-out is a key driver for the country’s 10% growth goal

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Jamille Tran

Published Fri, Dec 19, 2025 · 09:43 AM

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Vietnam Airlines’ VN1 flight from Hanoi landing at the new Long Thanh International Airport on Friday (Dec 19). PHOTO: CHINHPHU.VN
Vietnam’s Long Thanh International Airport passenger terminal, designed by South Korea’s Heerim Architects & Planners, is slated to handle 50 million passengers and 1.5  million tonnes of cargo annually by 2035. IMAGE: HEERIM ARCHITECTS & PLANNERS

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[HO CHI MINH CITY] On the morning of Dec 19, Vietnam welcomed its first arriving passenger flights at Long Thanh International Airport – a flagship infrastructure project located 40 km east of Ho Chi Minh City and designed to eclipse Tan Son Nhat as the country’s largest aviation gateway.

This milestone is just one piece of a much bigger effort, underpinned by the government’s push for development at “breakneck pace” and with “audacious execution”.

Vietnam is spending more on infrastructure than any other Asean country, with a wave of projects coming on stream as the country tries to lay the groundwork for faster growth from 2026.

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Asean Business Asean Vietnam Infrastructure Investment outlook Asia-Pacific Airports

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