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EN
Recently, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) officially assigned a second airport code to serve the Ho Chi Minh City area. Accordingly, in addition to the familiar Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN) code, the mega-project Long Thanh International Airport has been confirmed with the international code LTH.
This change affirms Long Thanh's position as a key national air gateway, acting as an "extension" to address the severe congestion problem in Ho Chi Minh City over the past many years.
The official international airport code for the Long Thanh mega-project has been assigned: LTH – a strategic "extension" that will help thoroughly resolve the congestion problem in the Ho Chi Minh City area from 2026.
IATA's designation of Long Thanh Airport (LTH) as the airport code for Ho Chi Minh City, despite its actual geographical location in Dong Nai province, is a common international practice for major cities worldwide. Now, tourists and travel agencies need to familiarize themselves with the concept of "one destination, two airport codes." Similar to how Tokyo (Japan) is served by Haneda (HND) and Narita (NRT) airports, or Seoul (South Korea) by Incheon (ICN) and Gimpo (GMP), passengers booking flights to and from Ho Chi Minh City from 2026 onwards should carefully check the airport code on their tickets to avoid unfortunate misunderstandings during their journey.
Notably, in the IATA classification system, although administratively under Ho Chi Minh City, Con Dao Airport is recognized in certain contexts as a separate entity serving the island region, not included in Ho Chi Minh City's overall classification system. Therefore, residents and tourists need to proactively update their information to ensure each journey is accurate, safe, and fulfilling.
IATA has officially granted Long Thanh Airport the LTH code, bringing Ho Chi Minh City into the group of major cities with multi-airport systems such as Tokyo (HND/NRT) or Seoul (ICN/GMP).
At the massive construction site, spanning over 3,000 hectares, the atmosphere is more intense than ever with the participation of more than 15,000 engineers and workers. With such a huge workforce, ensuring security and order is a top priority for the investor, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV). A strict three-layer security system has been established, with close coordination between the local police, military, and ACV's professional security team. The entire project site is fenced off, and access is controlled by magnetic cards and personal identification documents. Furthermore, to optimize management, workers are not allowed to ride motorbikes onto the construction site and must use the contractor's dedicated shuttle vehicles.
The LTH designation appears on the world aviation map.
The strictness of aviation security at Long Thanh has been affirmed by recent real-world incidents. In less than 24 hours after an anonymous social media account posted a bomb threat at the construction site, the Internal Security Department (Dong Nai Provincial Police) coordinated with the Ministry of Public Security to investigate and arrest the suspect. This demonstrates that any act threatening the safety of a national heritage site will be thoroughly dealt with. On December 15th and 19th, when the airport received its first official civilian and VIP flights, the highest level of aviation security (equivalent to commercially operating airports) was successfully implemented, ensuring absolute safety for important national political events.
Alongside the completion of internal airport facilities, regional transportation infrastructure is also being rapidly developed. Most notably, the project to upgrade and expand Provincial Road 769, with a total investment of nearly 5,900 billion VND, is underway. This nearly 30-kilometer-long road will be the main artery connecting the Central Highlands and South Central provinces directly to Long Thanh Airport. This 6- to 8-lane project will not only shorten travel time but also alleviate traffic congestion on National Highway 1, creating momentum for economic breakthroughs in the entire Southern Key Economic Region.
Currently, the Dong Nai Provincial Project Management Board is finalizing the detailed designs for this road, including proposing the addition of an overpass over the North-South railway at the Km1661+074 intersection to ensure absolute traffic safety. With a total land acquisition area of up to 134 hectares, the Provincial Road 769 project, along with the establishment of the Long Thanh airport code, is gradually completing the picture of Vietnam's most modern transportation infrastructure. When the Long Thanh mega-airport officially takes off, it will not only be a mere architectural structure, but also a symbol of the strong rise of Vietnamese aviation on the international stage.
