Dong Nai to assist people affected by airport project

Authorities in the southern province of Dong Nai plan to establish hi-tech agricultural co-operatives to create jobs for those over the age of 40 who are affected by the construction of Long Thanh International Airport.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung checks land clearance work for the construction of Long Thanh airport during his field trip to Dong Nai province last month.

According to a survey conducted by the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, more than 6,600 people aged over 15 lived in the area affected by the project.

Many have had their land revoked to make way for the airport, covering more than 5,500ha in six communes of Long Thanh district.

Among them are students, labourers at industrial zones, farmers and small business owners.

Most students are willing to take apprenticeships related to the project to find jobs after the airport opens.

Labourers in the agricultural sector want training and suitable jobs after they move to new areas.

A small number of residents want to work overseas.

Provincial authorities said they would organise training courses and address employment demands among local people.

Enterprises in Long Thanh district will need to recruit more than 22,500 labourers next year, which will be a good opportunity for those under the age of 40 to find jobs.

Those companies are looking for unskilled workers in the electronics, mechanics and wooden product processing sectors.

Local authorities have set up job centres in the area and will organise start-up programmes.

Labourers aged 40 and above will have the chance to do agricultural work as part of co-operatives.

People living in the area will be offered a free training course if they gain a school or college qualification.

Those who take primary apprentice training courses for less than three months will receive 3 million VND (130 USD) each.

After these courses, people who want to take out loans will enjoy preferential policies.

Those who want to work overseas will be assisted with tuition fees, foreign language courses and other related expenses.

Long Thanh International Airport, which cost 336.63 trillion VND, is the largest ever project in Dong Nai and one of the key national projects.

Its construction has affected 5,000 households to whom compensation of nearly 18 trillion VND (782.5 million USD) will need to be paid.

Once fully operational, Long Thanh Airport will reduce the load on Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, handling 100 million passengers and five million tonnes of freight each year.

In the first of three phases, a runway and a passenger terminal along with other support works will be built to handle 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo a year.

The first phase is expected to be completed in 2025.

In the second phase, one more runway and another terminal will be built to handle 50 million passengers and 1.5 million tonnes of cargo./. VNA