Long Thanh Airport Plans: What They Mean for Ho Tram

Long Thanh’s published transition plan is phased, not an immediate move of every flight. Check the airport on your ticket before booking a Ho Tram transfer.

By AN Tours Vietnam. Content updated 1 October 2026.

Cover photo: A modern passenger concourse at Narita Airport, Japan; illustrative airport image, not Long Thanh Airport. Photo: Nopparuj Lamaikul/Unsplash.

Long Thanh Airport could change how visitors reach Ho Tram, but an opening target is not a flight booking. The government’s published transition plan starts from a planned commercial launch on 1 December 2026 and moves international services in stages. Do not assume your flight will land there because it is international or because you are traveling after that date.

For a Ho Tram holiday, the airport printed on the airline’s current itinerary remains the starting point for your transfer. Tan Son Nhat (SGN) and Long Thanh are different airports, not interchangeable terminals.

The Published Three-Step Transition

Government News reported the Civil Aviation Authority’s plan on 28 July 2026:

1. 1 December 2026–27 March 2027: encourage airlines to operate international routes, including cargo, at Long Thanh according to airline demand.
2. 28 March–29 October 2027: the plan places long-haul international flights, including cargo, at Long Thanh.
3. 30 October 2027–25 March 2028: the plan places the remaining international flights there, except routes under 1,000 km operated by Vietnamese airlines.

The same report makes implementation dependent on airport infrastructure, air-navigation systems, connecting transport, services and operational preparation. These are the published planning stages, not confirmation that a particular airline has transferred a particular flight.

Why It Matters for Ho Tram

Long Thanh is being developed in Dong Nai, east of central Ho Chi Minh City. A different arrival airport changes the road starting point, but the final destination still matters: Melia, Angsana and the hotels within The Grand are separate addresses along the coast.

The Ho Tram–Long Thanh expressway project has a separate planned completion year of 2029. Its announced endpoints connect Ring Road 4/DT.991 with DT.994. An airport launch and an expressway completion are not the same event, and neither announcement proves a 45-minute terminal-to-resort drive.

Avoid choosing the resort from a “closest beach to the airport” superlative. Your flight, hotel entrance, roads actually open and traffic conditions determine the practical transfer.

Check These Details Before Arranging Transport

• Read the airport name and code on the confirmed itinerary, not only “Ho Chi Minh City” in a search result.
• Recheck airline notices if travel falls during a transition period. Pass any airport, terminal or flight-number change to the transfer team.
• If connecting between flights, confirm whether both use the same airport. A cross-airport road journey needs its own time allowance and is not an airside connection.
• Ask for a route-specific transfer confirmation. An SGN quote is not automatically a Long Thanh quote.

AN Tours’ Ho Tram transfer guide currently explains the SGN route and public vehicle options. For a flight involving Long Thanh, send the actual itinerary through the contact form and request confirmation; this article does not promise an operating Long Thanh pickup service.

Still deciding where to stay? The resort comparison covers the facilities that affect the holiday itself, separately from the airport-development news.