Long Thanh Airport opens commercial flights on December 24

2026-10-25

Long Thanh International Airport, near Ho Chi Minh City, starts commercial operations on December 24, 2026. Only 366 flights per week will run at first (322 domestic, 44 international), using the terminal's west wing and central area.

Vietnam Airports Corporation (ACV) and the Ministry of Construction have confirmed the plan. Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai province will begin commercial operations on December 24, 2026. Test flights run through October and November, and the airport can only open after passing all quality and safety checks.

For the first three months (December 2026 to March 2027), there will be only 366 flights per week — 322 domestic and 44 international. That is roughly 30 flights per day, about 6-10% of the terminal's design capacity. The passenger terminal will use the west wing and central area, with just four check-in islands active. Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air will operate the routes, and both plan to add more international flights from April 2027.

Total investment is around US$16 billion (over 336,600 billion VND), making it Vietnam's largest-ever transport infrastructure project. The site covers about 5,000 hectares in Dong Nai province, and once fully built it is designed to handle 100 million passengers and 25 million tons of cargo per year. As of early October, construction had reached 85.55% by contract value. Highways and urban rail lines connecting central Ho Chi Minh City to the airport are still under construction.

What it means for foreigners

• If you are flying after December 24, check whether your flight departs from Tan Son Nhat or Long Thanh. Tan Son Nhat will still handle most traffic in the first few months.
• With only 44 international flights per week at the start, most flights to Korea, Japan, China and Russia are likely to keep leaving from Tan Son Nhat until April 2027.
• Not all roads to Long Thanh are finished yet, so allow extra travel time from central Ho Chi Minh City.

• When booking flights after December, confirm your departure airport (Tan Son Nhat or Long Thanh) and plan extra time to get there.

CafeF (2026-10-23) · Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (2026-10-12)