Golf course to be built in Tan Son Nhat Airport

The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Binh District has approved a plan to build a 111-hectare golf course in Tan Son Nhat airport, a decision that took the public by surprise.

According to the approved plan, the total area of the project is 157 hectares, 111 of which is devoted to the golf course.

The remaining area will see the construction of a 5-star hotel, restaurants and other building complexes (maximum 12 stories in height) to cater for the needs of leisure guests.

A complex of luxurious villas and apartments for rent and high-class schools from kindergarten to secondary are also included.

To understand why a luxurious golf course can be built in the middle of the largest airport in Vietnam, Tuoi Tre had a talk with Tran Van Tinh, deputy chairman of the Long Bien Investment Corporation, the project’s investor.

Thinh told Tuoi Tre that the $300-million project to build a golf course in Tan Son Nhat airport and accompanying services in Tan Binh District was approved by the government in 2007 and is expected to complete by June 2013.

Located inside an area that covers Tan Son Nhat airport, the project’s land is under the management of the Ministry of Defence and has remained under-used for years.

“The project not only helps to put this piece land on a prime location to its most effective use but also adds more green areas to the city.”

“It will also meet the needs of international tourists and foreign firms in Vietnam, and help to increase the city’s budget,” he said, adding that the project would create more than 500 jobs for the locals.

Responding to the question that the golf course and its adjacent facilities would affect the operation of the airport, Thinh confirmed that a safe space would be created between the project area and the airport’s runway.

Since the entire area is managed by the Ministry of Defence, there would be no need for residential clearance and compensation, he emphasized.

He said the villas and apartments included in the project would all be for rent, not for sales.
The new schools would also serve the needs of the nearby residents, he added.

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