HCMC – Dong Nai Province has approved investment plans for three major transport projects worth more than VND110 trillion (about US$4.3 billion), aimed at strengthening connectivity with HCMC and other key economic regions.
The resolutions were passed at the third session of the provincial People’s Council on April 28, where delegates agreed on the urgency of accelerating critical infrastructure to develop a multimodal transport network, ease pressure on existing corridors, and support growth in the 2026–2030 period.
The centerpiece of the plan is an extension of the Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien metro line to the province’s new administrative center and Long Thanh International Airport. The project carries an estimated price tag of VND65.6 trillion.
The 44.6-kilometer metro extension is expected to be developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) using a build-transfer (BT) contract, with payments made through land allocations and the state budget. The line is anticipated to form a new economic corridor linking Bien Hoa and Long Thanh, enhance regional competitiveness, and reduce congestion on National Highway 51, particularly once the airport becomes operational.
In addition, Dong Nai, which will become Vietnam’s seventh centrally governed city from April 30, approved plans for an elevated road along National Highway 51, stretching from Vung Tau Intersection to the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau Expressway interchange. The 6.2-kilometer project will have six lanes and require about VND16.4 trillion in investment under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract.
Authorities said the elevated design is the most feasible option to avoid land clearance challenges in densely populated areas, while addressing chronic congestion at a key gateway to major seaports.
The third project involves a 44.5-kilometer road linking Ma Da Bridge to HCMC’s Beltway 4, with an estimated investment of VND28.8 trillion. Scheduled for construction between 2026 and 2028, the route is expected to play a strategic role in shortening travel time from the Central Highlands to Long Thanh airport in Dong Nai and the Cai Mep-Thi Vai deep-water port complex in HCMC.
