Fearing 5-hour drive from HCMC center to new Long Thanh airport
Many travelers will hesitate to fly from the new Long Thanh airport if it takes several hours to get there from Ho Chi Minh City center, according to reader comments.
Readers shared their opinions after experts expressed concerns at a meeting last month about the lack of connectivity when Long Thanh airport operates as Vietnam’s largest international air hub.
The project in Dong Nai Province, 60 km from downtown HCMC and 70 km from Tan Son Nhat airport, is a key international infrastructure development, but its effectiveness depends on its connectivity with HCMC, the region’s economic center.
Currently, the main road connections to the airport are limited to the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay expressway and National Highways 1 and 51, which are already congested. Other connecting projects like the Ring Road 3, Ben Luc – Long Thanh, and Bien Hoa – Vung Tau expressway are under construction, while Ring Road 4 has just been approved for investment by the National Assembly.
Reader Thanhhiepnguyen commented: « The journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh airport takes 2-5 hours, and on top of that, domestic flights require 1-2 hours for check-in, while international flights require 3-4 hours. This makes passengers like me feel hesitant whenever I book tickets to and from this airport. Many will choose to travel to other countries instead of to Vietnam, except for those with deep ties to the country.
It is worth noting that many people living in remote areas abroad already face long travel times and multiple flight connections to come to Vietnam—on average, it takes about 20-24 hours. If we add another 2-5 hours for the trip from the city to the airport, it could take over a day and a half to get home. Put yourself in the shoes of a tourist—does this make the destination still appealing? »
Pttruong echoed concerns about the airport’s accessibility: « If it takes 2-5 hours to travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh airport, many foreigners and overseas Vietnamese will avoid coming back to Vietnam due to the inconvenience and time wasted. After a 15-16 hour flight, they just want to go home or stay in the city. But with 5 hours stuck in traffic and 3 hours for check-in, that’s 8 hours gone, making it both costly and tiring. People will worry about missing their flight. The connection roads should be ready before the airport opened. »
VSGN added: « Too many inconveniences with the connection. I live in Ho Chi Minh City, and when Long Thanh airport is operational, I probably will not choose to fly from there unless no flights are available at other airports. For international travel, I’d opt for a tour departing from Tan Son Nhat. As for domestic flights, I will 100% choose Tan Son Nhat because Long Thanh will be too inconvenient. »
Emphasizing the importance of connectivity, reader Hero criticized the lack of synchronized planning:
« This is a classic issue with planning and investment in unsynchronized development. If you are building a kitchen, you must first figure out the best route for access. If there is no road, or the entrance is too narrow, the kitchen is useless.
For a project worth hundreds of thousands of billions, we only have one expressway, the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay route, which is always congested. Meanwhile, the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau expressway projects are delayed, and other connecting projects are either slow or not implemented. There’s no urgent effort to build connecting routes between Tan Son Nhat and Long Thanh airports…
We should have started constructing the elevated road projects and other connecting roads between Ho Chi Minh City, Tan Son Nhat airport, and Long Thanh airport much sooner. »
VnExpress.net – July 14, 2025