APEC preparations: what is being built, and by when

First APEC Year activity in December, in Gia Lai

1 October 2026. Viet Nam News reported that the first official activity of Viet Nam's APEC Year 2027, the Informal Senior Officials' Meeting, is scheduled for December 2026 in Gia Lai province. Phu Quoc is where the Leaders' Week projects are being built and where the media centre will be. The National Committee for APEC 2027 is chaired by Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc. Ministries were told to finalise the content of the APEC Year and the Ministry of Finance to submit extra funding for 2026 and allocations for 2027.

The report did not give the dates of the Leaders' Week. Until an official date is published, we list it as unconfirmed.

Light rail: six stations, test runs in June 2027

8 August 2026. Mekong ASEAN reported the developer's timetable for the light rail. The first phase is 17.59 km from Tay Bac station near the airport to Dao Ngoc station, underground and linked directly to the APEC centre, with six stations in all. Surface track laying was to start in late August 2026 and elevated and tunnel sections in October; the first trains were expected in January or February 2027, test runs in June and commercial service in August 2027. The journey from the airport to the south is expected to take about 20 minutes. About 28.7% of the investment of nearly VND 9,000 billion had been disbursed by early August.

Road corridor about half built

21 September 2026. VNA, reported by VnExpress International, said the ĐT.975 corridor has a 62-metre cross-section with ten vehicle lanes and the light rail on the central median. By early September about 65% of the cable trenches, nearly 50% of drainage and road foundations, and more than 55% of the four bridges were complete. Crews work in three shifts. The light rail breaks down into 14.81 km at ground level, 0.78 km elevated and 2 km underground in the APEC core area.

Terminal T2 nearing the end of its structure

4 October 2026. The main concrete structure of T2 was about 95% complete and the baggage system about 60%. A technical flight is planned for 30 December 2026 and operations from April 2027. Details are in the flights brief.

Rooms on the island

8 October 2026. Viet Nam News reported about 500 accommodation establishments on Phu Quoc, including more than 20 five-star hotels with nearly 11,000 rooms, and a planned 15 high-rise seafront hotels with nearly 6,500 rooms in the Bai Dat Do area. APEC is expected to bring leaders from 21 member economies with business delegations and international media.

• Expect building work along the road from the airport to the south, around the airport itself and in the An Thoi area, with lane closures and dust likely while the corridor is paved from late 2026.
• Allow more time for road transfers between the airport and the south until the new road opens.
• During the Leaders' Week itself, expect security restrictions. None had been published when we checked; we will report them when they are.