An Giang (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that hosting APEC 2027 is a major honour for Vietnam and the Phu Quoc special zone, underscoring that investment in strategic infrastructure will be critical to the event’s success while also serving as a powerful driver of development nationwide, including in An Giang province and Phu Quoc, and strengthening the country’s capacity, stature and international standing.
The PM made the remarks on January 28 while inspecting key works and projects serving APEC 2027 in the Phu Quoc special zone, southern An Giang province.
During his visit to the Phu Quoc International Airport expansion project, PM Chinh inspected construction works and presented gifts to encourage on-site forces. He commended Sun Group, the project’s investor, for rapidly and synchronously implementing critical components. As a result, construction output has increased sharply, with Terminal T2 having its basic structural works completed, the VIP terminal reaching a substantial completion rate and moving into the finishing phase, and runway works being accelerated.
The PM noted that airport expansion is being carried out under more challenging conditions as construction proceeds alongside ongoing operations. He therefore called on contractors to mobilise additional manpower, equipment and machinery, engage more subcontractors, and organise round-the-clock construction, including during holidays and the Lunar New Year, to speed up progress. At the same time, he stressed that technical and aesthetic standards, quality, safety and environmental hygiene must be strictly ensured.
He underscored the requirement to develop Phu Quoc International Airport in a modern, green and digitalised manner, and optimise its operational efficiency. Local authorities were instructed to swiftly complete site clearance with a long-term vision that creates room for future development, ensuring strict compliance with the law while taking due account of support for local residents.
Inspecting construction works on Provincial Road DT.975, which connects the strategic development corridor with Phu Quoc International Airport, the Government leader praised investors and contractors for their efforts in site clearance and roadbed construction in line with the schedule. He called for faster site clearance and construction progress matching actual ground conditions to ensure the overall project timeline, while strictly adhering to Party General Secretary To Lam’s directives on improving long-term quality and operational capacity of the route.
Earlier the same morning, also in Phu Quoc, PM Chinh attended the groundbreaking ceremonies of the Bai Dat Do (Ruby Beach) mixed-use urban area and the Ong Quan Mountain mixed-use eco-tourism and urban area. They are two of the 21 APEC-related projects approved and invested by Sun Group.
The Bai Dat Do mixed-use urban area, covering 88.4ha with a total investment of approximately 64 trillion VND (2.45 billion USD), is developed along the APEC Boulevard axis with towers up to 40 stories, integrating luxury hotels, shopping centres, and coastal squares.
The highlight of the project is a cluster of 15 high-rise beachfront hotels with nearly 6,500 rooms, creating a “hotel city” in the heart of Phu Quoc. This cluster is expected to transform Bai Dat Do into a “Second Sydney”, world-class yet rich in local identity.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and officials launch the construction of two APEC-related projects: the Bai Dat Do (Ruby Beach) mixed-use urban area and the Ong Quan Mountain mixed-use eco-tourism and urban area on January 28. (Photo: VNA)
The Ong Quan Mountain mixed-use ecotourism urban area has a total investment of approximately 5.55 trillion VND and spans more than 21ha, located on hillside terrain near Bai Dat Do and Sunset Town. The project is designed as a multifunctional ecological urban area, integrating accommodation, services, and commerce. Upon completion, it is expected to offer approximately 5,200 serviced apartments, helping address the current acute shortage of accommodation in Phu Quoc and fully preparing the island for APEC 2027.
The two projects are expected to provide approximately 12,000 hotel rooms amd serviced apartments, along with international-standard commercial and landscaped spaces, establishing the most advanced accommodation infrastructure to meet the stringent requirements of the high-level international APEC 2027 event while contributing to the creation of a new hotel and commercial urban landscape for Phu Quoc.
With less than two years remaining to implement APEC 2027-related projects, the PM noted that the Politburo and key leaders, particularly the Party General Secretary, have directed that APEC activities be held successfully in terms of infrastructure, content and organisation. He urged ministries, agencies, localities, especially the Phu Quoc special zone and An Giang province, to fully discharge their assigned tasks with the highest sense of responsibility and effectiveness while mobilising public participation and support.
The PM called for rigorous implementation of green transformation, digitalisation, optimisation of distinctive potentials and competitive advantages, smart governance and management, and the harmonisation of interests among the State, people and businesses.
He encouraged An Giang and Phu Quoc to continue completing procedures in accordance with regulations to facilitate enterprises' implementation of APEC-related projects. He also praised Sun Group for its participation in major developments, and commended contractors for their strong sense of responsibility.
He stressed that project implementation must comply with the law and ensure progress, quality, technical and aesthetic standards, labour safety, environmental hygiene and optimal efficiency. Ministries and sectors were urged to support local authorities, businesses and residents, and to call for maximum public backing for the tasks in Phu Quoc and An Giang.
On the same day, PM Chinh chaired a working session with ministries, sectors, local authorities, An Giang province and investors to address difficulties and bottlenecks to accelerate the implementation of APEC-related projects.
He praised Deputy PMs, ministries, sectors and An Giang province for their responsible performance in line with the directions of Party and State leaders, the Government, the PM and, particularly, the guidance from Party General Secretary To Lam.
The Government leader urged ministries and localities to demonstrate even greater determination and effectiveness to meet the targets on progress, quality, safety, landscape, environment and social welfare. He stressed that infrastructure development in Phu Quoc must not be limited to APEC 2027, but planned with a long-term vision of at least 100 years. Relevant parties were therefore required to review planning schemes and ensure serious and effective implementation.
Assessing the rollout of 21 APEC-related projects as progressing well, particularly the handover and expansion of Phu Quoc International Airport, the PM stressed the need to strictly implement the General Secretary’s directive to study investment in a 10-lane North – South transport axis on Phu Quoc, a similarly scaled East – West axis, and the planning and construction of a coastal ring road.
He agreed to resolve proposals and recommendations from localities and units, instructing that within one month, a draft Government Resolution on the handover of land reserves for settling BT contracts be completed. He required An Giang to directly license investors and contractors to expand the exploitation of construction material mines, resolutely revoke licences from underperforming units, and reallocate them to capable ones.
Relevant ministries and sectors were urged to uphold the dual objective of socio-economic development and national defence – security safeguarding, improve people’s material and spiritual lives, and complete site clearance for project implementation.
The PM also agreed with proposals to underground technical infrastructure, including power, telecommunications and water supply and drainage systems, and to adjust the scale of transport infrastructure projects and the Phu Quoc International Airport expansion.
APEC 2027 is a particularly important political and external relations task to be hosted in Phu Quoc. Infrastructure development for the event is both an urgent requirement and a major opportunity to create a breakthrough in infrastructure, services and development space for the province and the special zone.
To date, APEC-related projects have been rolled out simultaneously, especially key projects, ensuring synchronised implementation and adherence to timelines for APEC 2027.
An Giang province has been tasked with implementing 21 projects, including 10 public investment projects and 11 projects under public – private partnership (PPP) and business – investment models. All 10 public investment projects have had investor and contractor selection completed, with disbursement in 2025 exceeding 2.6 trillion VND, equivalent to 64.2% of the plan.
For the 11 PPP and business – investment projects, all investors have been selected in accordance with regulations. Many projects are progressing on or ahead of schedule, raising strong prospects of timely completion and operation in service of APEC 2027./.
