The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), investor of Long Thanh International Airport, has extended the duration to complete its passenger terminal by six months, from 33 to 39.
Announcing the extension Tuesday, ACV deputy CEO Do Tat Binh said the adjustment is already in Package No. 5.10 “Construction and Equipment Installation for the Passenger Terminal Building”.
The second bidding invitation for the significant package would be one month longer, with the new deadline being April 28 this year instead of March 28.
The key package includes design, construction, and equipment installation for the terminal. With a total investment of VND35.23 trillion ($1.49 billion), it is considered the biggest package for the first phase of the airport project.
Binh explained the new construction period, 39 months instead of 33, has been studied thoroughly by his company to assure construction quality and help the to-be-selected contractor avoid heavy time pressure.
Long Thanh International Airport is under construction in Dong Nai province near Ho Chi Minh City. The key national project is estimated to cost more than $14 billion to build and is set to open in 2025, but the passenger terminal package does not have a contractor yet.
Project investor ACV launched this February the second bidding invitation to find a contractor after failure of the first, launched last September and extended to November 30, 2022. All tender files ACV had received were not qualified under Article 17 of the Law on Bidding.
For the second bidding invitation, ACV expects to select a contractor and negotiate the contract by April 30.
Work began on the new airport in 2021 and it is set to open in 2025. The second phase is scheduled for completion by 2050. Covering more than 5,580 hectares in Long Thanh district, about 40 kilometers east of HCMC, Long Thanh International Airport is expected to help ease overloading at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC, Vietnam’s southern economic hub.