HCMC – The Executive Board of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee today morning looked into a huge project to build a road that would connect two coastal areas of the city, Can Gio and Vung Tau.
Speaking at the third meeting of the Executive Board of the Party Committee of HCMC, Nguyen Cong Vinh, vice chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee, presented a proposal for adjusting the master plan for the project to build a road across the Ganh Rai Bay linking Can Gio and Vung Tau of former Ba Ria–Vung Tau Province.
Public–private partnership (PPP) would be used for the project through a build–transfer (BT) contract.
Vinh said that following the merger of HCMC, Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau into a much larger city called Ho Chi Minh, the city now has a much larger development space, making it imperative to boost intra-regional and inter-regional connectivity.
Can Gio and the former Ba Ria-Vung Tau area have huge potential for the marine economy, tourism, logistics, and seaports. However, there is currently no direct road connection between the two areas, with travel largely dependent on lengthy detours by road or on waterway transport, which has yet to meet development needs.
The construction of a coastal road linking these two coastal areas of the city is of political and strategic significance as it would help form a direct coastal connectivity axis, shorten travel time, enhance regional linkages, and expand the city’s urban development space and marine-based economy.
Tran Luu Quang, secretary of the HCMC Party Committee, said that studies into the city’s new map showed that there are two feasible locations for implementation of the project. One option is in the Nha Be area, where a road could also be built; however, opening a route there would be difficult, face numerous obstacles, and involve a longer distance. Meanwhile, the city is pursuing a development orientation toward the sea, and the distance from Can Gio to Bai Truoc or Bai Sau beach is only 13–14 kilometers.
“City leaders have held talks with strategic investors over the construction of a six-lane bridge from the farthest point of Vingroup’s project (Vinhomes Green Paradise Can Gio) to the Vung Tau area,” Quang said.
Under the proposed scenario, the bridge would consist of two sections: one running above the sea surface, and another at the navigation channel passing underground beneath the seabed, similar to the Saigon River Tunnel. The project would also involve the construction of two artificial islands on either side of the navigation channel. Compared with building a high bridge (around 60 meters above sea surface), this option would be easier to construct and involve lower costs.
The investor expects the construction period to be about three years. With this project, travel by car from the city center to the Vung Tau area would take just over one hour.
