The government has proposed that the National Assembly (NA) adjust the investment capital and implementation period for a project on land recovery and site clearance, compensation, and resettlement for the construction of Long Thanh International Airport in southern Dong Nai province to the end of 2024.

The project has total investment of VND22.94 trillion ($932.22 million), with land recovery of nearly 5,400 ha.

Under a new government proposal, investment is reduced to VND19.21 trillion ($780.64 million) and the land to be recovered to 5,317.35 ha.

This includes land for the airport, the Loc An - Binh Son resettlement area, and re-established infrastructure outside of the airport area.

Reporting to the NA at its ongoing sixth session in Hanoi on October 26, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang said implementation progress at the project fell short of expectations due to Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021 and the resulting social distancing measures.

Coordination to calculate and compensate local residents for land recovery also faced difficulties and has taken longer than estimated, he said.

Dong Nai province also needs to allocate resources to implement other key national transport projects, such as the Dau Giay - Phan Thiet and Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway sections.

The government therefore proposed the NA extend the project’s implementation period.

Presenting an inspection report, Head of the NA Committee on Economy Vu Hong Thanh agreed with the proposal to extend the project to 2024.