The Long Thanh Airport began to prepare the land it needs since the beginning of this year and construction is expected to begin by October.
So far, Dong Nai Province has handed over more than 2,420 ha of land for the first phase of the project.
But, in Binh Son Commune, around 100 families are still waiting for their relocation documents to be evaluated, among other procedures.
The only road leading to the commune gets muddy following rains in August. Families yet to relocate have to use this road every day to get to work.
"If it rains, it's muddy. If it's sunny, it's dusty," said Hoa, a local.
People's lives in the area have been heavily impacted by the project, according to the Long Thanh Airport Project Management Committee.
Do Thi Yen (R) fell off on August 6 when she tried to reach a convenience store, thus the mud on her motorbike. She said her house was built on top of a land plot owned by her sibling, so the paperwork was taking more time.
"I just want to be relocated soon and stabilize my life. Living near the construction site is very tough," she said.
A neighborhood in the construction site.
"We have received news that there is land available for our relocation since May, but we have not been able to choose the plots," said Nguyen Phu Dung.
Water and electricity are still available for the neighborhood, but the low lying area gets flooded when it rains.
"Our lives have been turned upside down. We plan to move out and look for a place to rent," said Phung Thu Huong, adding that her family was building new homes in their designated relocation areas.
To avoid his feet sinking into the wet, muddy, sticky soil, Nguyen Van Tu uses a door as a bridge to enter his home.
Just a few hundred meters away, Nguyen Van Son (wearing a cap) and his family have been compensated more than a year ago, but there is still no land available for relocation.
"We have no new place, so we have to stay here," Son said.
In order to prepare for his new school year at the Binh Son Middle School, Nguyen Tan Phat, an 8th grader, packs up his books and notes to move to another location closer to school, about 10 km away from his old place.
A scrap collector dismantles what's left of a home built on a land plot taken for airport construction.
After the regular stalls in the construction area had to go, one local entrepreneur has fashioned his vehicle into a mobile beverage stall to serve those who have had to stay back and workers at the construction site.
While he waits for his relocation, Truong Van Ut has planted vegetables and raised chickens on a land plot just 200 meters away from an active construction site.
"Our family is facing a few problems with our paperwork, so we have not received a notification for new land plots for relocation. As the roads are sinking, we only go to the market once a week, and the rest of the time we eat our own produce," he said.
