The foundation stone was laid for IC İçtaş Construction’s new project in Vietnam, the Long Thanh Airport

Oct 01, 2026

THE PROJECT, WITH AN INITIAL PHASE VALUED AT $1.5 BILLION, WILL BE COMPLETED WITHIN 39 MONTHS

The groundbreaking ceremony was held for the terminal building of Long Thanh International Airport—Vietnam’s most prestigious project—for which the VIETUR Consortium, led by IC İçtaş İnşaat, won the bid. The airport, which will serve 25 million passengers and handle 1.2 million metric tons of cargo in its first phase, will accommodate more than 100 million passengers annually once all phases are operational.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Long Thanh International Airport project—through which IC İçtaş Construction, a company with nearly 55 years of experience in executing numerous challenging projects both domestically and internationally, is bringing its expertise to Vietnam—was held with the participation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

The airport, to be built east of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, will be developed by the VIETUR Consortium led by IC İçtaş Construction. The consortium, which is undertaking the project’s first phase worth $1.5 billion, will complete the initial phase—comprising the terminal building and equipment installation—within 39 months. With an initial capacity of 25 million passengers and 1.2 million metric tons of cargo, Long Thanh International Airport is expected to serve more than 100 million passengers annually once all phases are operational. More than 10,000 workers are expected to be employed on the Long Thanh International Airport project.

“AS IC İÇTAŞ CONSTRUCTION, WE ARE BRINGING OUR EXPERIENCE TO COUNTRIES BEYOND OUR BORDERS”

At the groundbreaking ceremony attended by IC İçtaş Construction Board Chairman Fırat Çeçen, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and members of his cabinet, Enver İskurt, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure of the Republic of Turkey; Haldun Tekneci, Ambassador to Hanoi; the president of Vietnam Airports Corporation; executives from IC İçtaş Construction; senior executives from Vietnamese companies involved in the project; and representatives of the local and international press were in attendance.
In his speech at the groundbreaking ceremony, he noted that IC İçtaş Construction—which has undertaken more than 12airport projects to date—including the King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, where the first phase has been completed and work on the second phase has begun—IC İçtaş Construction will bring its experience in construction and operations to the Far East through the Long Thanh International Airport Project. Fırat Çeçen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of IC İçtaş Construction, stated the following: “The new airport, to be built in Dong Nai Province east of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, will restore this ancient city to its former status as a transportation hub and transform it into a major Asian destination. Participating in this project offers us another opportunity to demonstrate the significant experience and expertise we possess on the international stage. The VIETUR consortium, with which we are bidding, includes leading Vietnamese companies in their respective fields. The Long Thanh International Airport will be tendered in five separate phases. As part of the consortium that won the bid for the first phase, we will undertake the construction of the terminal building. Working in coordination with our local and international partners, we will deliver the first phase of the Long Thanh International Airport Project in compliance with standards within approximately 39 months. The country’s rapidly growing economy necessitates major infrastructure investments such as this airport. We appreciate the Vietnamese Government’s commitment to completing such key projects. We would also like to thank the Vietnam Airports Corporation (ACV) for its fair approach and support during the preparatory process. We believe that ACV’s support will play a key role in the project’s success.”

A PROJECT THAT WILL ENHANCE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES

Stating that this project will strengthen cooperation between Turkey and Vietnam and and add value to the relations between the two countries,” said Çeçen. “With the innovative approach, engineering discipline, and successful managerial capabilities in challenging projects that we have embraced since our founding, we aim to increase our influence in the international arena in infrastructure projects. We are particularly excited to extend our expertise in airport construction and operations to countries overseas through this project. Following the Türkevi project we completed in New York—located 8,000 km west of Istanbul—we take pride in undertaking a new project in a city located 8,000 km east of Istanbul and named after Ho Chi Minh, who led the country’s struggle for independence,” he said.

TO BECOME ONE OF VIETNAM’S MAJOR AIRPORTS

According to the Vietnam Airport Authority’s 2020–2025 plans, the capacity of the country’s 23 airports will be increased to 173 million passengers. Within this framework, the first phase of Long Thanh Airport aims to reach an annual capacity of 25 million passengers and 1.2 million metric tons of cargo. The airport is planned to be one of the most important cornerstones in the completion of infrastructure that will serve the country’s rapidly growing economy as part of its 2050 vision. With the expansions to be carried out as part of this project, Long Thanh Airport is expected to reach a capacity to serve 50 million passengers annually by the second phase and more than 100 million passengers annually after the final phase. Designed to reflect the “lotus flower”—one of Vietnam’s national symbols—the project will become one of Vietnam’s major airports upon completion.