New bidding launched to find Long Thanh airport builder

The package up for bidding is worth VND35.23 trillion ($1.5 billion), and project investor Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) has announced that the goal is to find a contractor before May.

ACV Deputy General Director Do Tat Binh said the package for the construction of the airport’s passenger terminal – including its design, build and installation of equipment – will be up for bidding until March 28.

ACV will hold a pre-bid conference next week to survey the opinions of interested bidders.

After receiving applications, ACV will select a contractor and negotiate the contract before April 30.

This is the second bidding invitation launched by ACV for the project.

In September 2022, ACV opened the first bidding application period through November 30. But only the consortium Conteccons - Vinaconex - Centra - Phuc Hung Holdings - REE - Hoa Binh - HAWEE applied.

The application did not meet the requirements, so the bid was canceled.

Binh said the contractor must have the capacity, experience and financial ability necessary for such a large and important project.

For example, he said, the contractor or consortium must have the construction of at least one special-level project already under its belt to win the bid.

Due to strict conditions, only foreign contractors are eligible for the project.

The timeline for the construction and installation of equipment is fixed for 33 months, which many experts consider too rushed a deadline. Thus, not many foreign contractors have become interested in the project, according to analysts.

Binh said ACV would consider a potential contractor’s proposal to extend the project’s schedule, but that higher authorities would ultimately decide the deadline.

The National Assembly and the government currently have the project's first phase scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.

Construction of the Long Thanh Airport project is estimated to cost $16 billion and has been divided into three phases.

Phase one is to build a runway, passenger terminal and other items that can serve 25 million passengers a year. In phase two, an additional open runway will be added, along with another terminal to serve 50 million passengers per year. Phase three will complete and expand the facility so the airport can serve 100 million passengers per year.

Once operational, the airport in the southern Dong Nai Province is slated to replace HCMC's Tan Son Nhat International Airport as the largest and busiest airport in Vietnam.

The package for construction and equipment installation of the passenger terminal is one of the largest packages related to aviation that has ever been deployed in Vietnam. It took ACV two years to organize the entrance exam for the station architecture plan, and one year to appraise and approve the project.