Open Multiple “Doors” in the East of Ho Chi Minh City

During the first days of the year of Giap Thin, the construction of the An Phu intersection in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, was always bustling. Contractors are pushing the progress with the simultaneous implementation of many construction points.

The finish line is near

This is one of the key projects at the eastern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City. At the two tunnel bidding packages on Mai Chi Tho Street and the Giong Ong To Bridge (the road to Cat Lai Port), hundreds of workers and heavy machinery vehicles are rushing through drilling, pouring concrete, and leveling…

Regularly carrying goods from Ho Chi Minh City to Phan Thiet and traveling on the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay expressway, Mr. Nguyen Van Tuong (residing in District 4) said that before and after Tet, the number of vehicles increased sharply, coupled with expanded construction barriers causing congestion. Moving is difficult but people are understanding and hoping that the An Phu intersection project will be completed soon to facilitate travel in this area.

Also at the eastern gateway, in October 2023, the Nam Ly composite bridge, the main project after a 6-month restart, marked an important milestone in the progress. According to the Management Board of Investment and Construction Projects of Ho Chi Minh City’s Transport (Traffic Management Board – the investor), the project has achieved over 70% of the volume and is expected to be operational on September 2, 2024.

The Nam Ly bridge construction project has a total investment of 919 billion VND, starting construction in October 2016, and until March 2019, it had to be suspended due to lack of land. By March 2023, after many efforts, the project was resumed when the land was handed over.

Similarly, the road segment of Luong Dinh Cua (from Tran Nao to An Phu intersection), more than 2.3 km long, over 30 m wide, led by the Traffic Management Board, started implementation in April 2015 but had to stop several times also due to land issues. After more than 8 years, until now, the project has achieved 86% of the volume. According to the investor, the delay will affect the completion time of the An Phu intersection. In 2024, the unit will coordinate with Thu Duc City to promote progress and bring the project to completion as quickly as possible.

Another “gateway”, the project to expand National Highway 13 has been proposed to be implemented under the BOT contract form (construction – operation – transfer). The project has a total investment capital of 13,851 billion VND, in which the cost of site clearance is about 9,375 billion VND, expanding to 8 lanes, aiming to solve the congestion situation in the eastern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City. The project is expected to be implemented next year.

Completing the transportation picture

Mr. Luong Minh Phuc, Director of the Traffic Management Board, said that in 2024, the board strives to put into operation 38 construction projects, typical projects. Among them, many projects are located at the eastern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City, such as the Nam Ly bridge (replacing the Rach Chiec dam), the Phase 1 construction project of My Thuy Intersection (Kỳ Hà 4 bridge package). These projects not only increase the traffic capacity for the area but also help relieve traffic congestion for Cat Lai Port.

The An Phu intersection is currently being developed with 10 construction and installation bidding packages. It is expected that by the end of 2024, the construction packages for the HC1-01 and HC1-02 tunnels, Ba Dat bridge and Giong Ong To bridge will be completed. When completed, this intersection will reduce congestion at Cat Lai Port, connecting the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay expressway…

The Traffic Management Board will also work with localities to solve problems, speed up the Phase 2 construction project of My Thuy Intersection, construct the Ong Nhiêu bridge on Nguyen Duy Trinh Street and upgrade and expand Luong Dinh Cua road (from Tran Nao to Nguyen Thi Dinh).

“These projects are expected to be completed in the period of 2024-2025, along with Belt Road 2, Belt Road 3 when put into use, will complete the traffic picture for the eastern gateway of the city” – said Mr. Phuc.

Dr. Duong Nhu Hung, Head of the Department of Industrial Management – Faculty of Industrial Management – University of Technology, emphasized that Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, and Binh Duong are located in the region that contributes the largest proportion to GDP not only in the southern region but also in the whole country. According to Dr. Hung, a bridge, a road, on the one hand, has the meaning of connecting both sides of the river, connecting 2 localities, and on the other hand, attracts urban development by promoting the formation of new residential areas. It also creates new development motivation for businesses, such as production structure changes.

“My research has shown the relationship between economic growth and transportation infrastructure development. When the traffic gateway is opened, first of all, it saves travel time for people, reduces environmental pollution. Next, logistics costs are reduced, businesses, producers have a competitive advantage, goods prices decrease, promoting economic development” – analyzed Dr. Hung.