The Vietnamese military has announced that it will give away more than 20 hectares of land at an international airport in Ho Chi Minh City to support the country’s economic development.

The Ministry of National Defense will transfer over 20 hectares of land at Tan Son Nhat International Airport to the Ministry of Transport and other competent agencies, General Phung Quang Thanh said at a government meeting on Monday, adding that several similar transfers could be carried out to help spur Vietnam’s economic growth.

The land handover was decided as the operation and maintenance of military aircraft at the airport have hindered civil aviation activities, General Thanh, who is minister of defense, explained.

The Ministry of Transport initially asked for nine hectares and but the area was then increased to more than 20 hectares following several field trips by the defense ministry.

Another piece of land 20 hectares in area is expected to be handed over to the Ministry of Transport in the future, General Thanh said.

Regarding the Cam Ranh military port in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, the facility will be modeled on an ‘open’ port, which not only serves as a military harbor but also provides entry for large-scale cruise ships and foreign vessels, the general said at the meeting.

Expected to be inaugurated in late February 2016, Cam Ranh will be similar to Singapore’s Changi, which facilitates the multilateralization, diversification and interlinked interests of the country.

The general added that businesses managed by the Vietnamese military have contributed US$2 billion in tax in 2015.

“Besides spending, the military also contributes to the national coffers,” he concluded.

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