The Billion-Dollar Highway: Unlocking Seamless Travel Between Ho Chi Minh City and Long An, Transforming the Western Gateway

The expansion and upgrade project of National Highway 50 aims to enhance the capacity of the highway linking Ho Chi Minh City with Long An and the Mekong Delta provinces. It will also contribute to improving connectivity between the southern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City and the Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressway and Ho Chi Minh City’s Ring Road 3 in the future.

The project, with a total investment of nearly VND 1,500 billion, starts at Nguyen Van Linh Street and ends at the border with Long An province, spanning a length of 6.92 km and accommodating six lanes. It involves the construction of a 4.36 km long parallel road next to the existing National Highway 50 and the expansion of a 2.56 km section of the current highway.

To ensure the project’s completion by the target year of 2025, construction is being accelerated. The contract package for the parallel section (new construction from Nguyen Van Linh Street to km4+200: Construction Packages 1, 2, 3, and 4, which commenced on December 27, 2022) has achieved 71% completion, while the expansion section (expansion of the existing National Highway 50 from km4+200 to km8+220, bordering Long An, which started on March 15, 2024) has reached 14% completion.

Previously, National Highway 50 served as a vital artery connecting Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta provinces, but the road was narrow. It also leads to the Da Phuoc integrated waste treatment complex, often resulting in congestion and accidents.

The expansion and upgrade project of National Highway 50 is expected to alleviate traffic congestion and facilitate smoother travel for commuters. The distance between Ho Chi Minh City and Long An, as well as the Mekong Delta provinces, will be shortened, positively impacting various aspects of people’s lives.

However, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Transport Project Management Unit, six contract packages in the project are facing land clearance issues. The Transport Department regularly coordinates and urges contractors to expedite construction while requesting the People’s Committee of Binh Chanh district to expedite land handover and encourage local residents to support the project. The Unit also collaborates with specialized agencies such as the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to address challenges and obstacles.

In reality, not only National Highway 50 but also the connectivity infrastructure between Ho Chi Minh City and Long An has witnessed continuous investment efforts, positively impacting the economy and society and the real estate market.

Notably, Ho Chi Minh City plans to spend VND 17,200 billion on constructing two new roads connecting to Long An. The first is the extension of Vo Van Kiet Street (Ho Chi Minh City) to Duc Hoa (Long An), with a total investment of about VND 8,400 billion. This route will also feature an integrated interchange with Ho Chi Minh City’s Ring Road 3. The second route is a new road in the northwest, spanning approximately 8 km and 40 m wide, with a total investment of VND 8,800 billion in a PPP format.

In Long An, key roads that facilitate inter-regional connectivity have been receiving significant investment since the beginning of 2024. For instance, three bridges are being constructed on Road 827E, which connects Ho Chi Minh City, Long An, and Tien Giang. Additionally, the Luong Hoa – Binh Chanh road section in Long An is under construction, and the Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressway, spanning 58 km across Long An, Ho Chi Minh City, and Dong Nai, is being expedited. The expressway’s 21 km section from Ho Chi Minh City to Long An is expected to open in the first quarter of 2025.

Furthermore, several inter-regional connectivity projects, such as Ring Roads 3 and 4, National Highway N1, and Road 823D, are being promoted for investment and upgrading, forming a network of connections for Ho Chi Minh City’s western region.

The continuous investment in infrastructure has had a noticeable impact on the real estate market in Long An, with new developments in both supply and demand. Thanks to its convenient transportation, the area has seen a surge in interest and a potential increase in actual housing demand. Ben Luc, Duc Hoa, and Can Giuoc remain the most sought-after locations in Long An for real estate.

In terms of segments, affordable apartments in Long An are becoming scarce, while land-attached properties are showing signs of heating up as several large-scale projects enter the market. In addition to townhouses priced at 3-5 billion VND per unit, the market has recently introduced luxury products targeting customers with substantial financial resources.

The real estate market in Long An, which was once quiet due to general fluctuations, has now rebounded thanks to infrastructure development, large-scale projects, and the province’s investment attraction policies. These factors have boosted investor confidence. Real estate transactions in early 2024 showed signs of a “reversal” compared to the same period last year, and this trend is expected to continue in the remaining months of 2024 due to the area’s multiple concurrent advantages.