HCMC – HCMC is expediting plans to fully construct two of its largest traffic interchanges in the southern area — Nguyen Van Linh–Nguyen Huu Tho and Nguyen Huu Tho–Ben Luc–Long Thanh Expressway — to ease chronic congestion and improve regional connectivity.
The two projects are key components of Phase 1 of the North–South Axis Road upgrade project, which covers Nguyen Huu Tho Street from Nguyen Van Linh Parkway to the Ben Luc–Long Thanh Expressway. The HCMC People’s Committee has approved an architectural design competition to select optimal and innovative designs for the interchanges.
The open competition will last about 75 days and is open to architectural, urban planning, and transport engineering firms and consortiums. Submissions will be reviewed and ranked by a judging panel, which will recommend the most suitable proposal for the city’s approval and award prizes to the top entries.
The North–South Axis Road upgrade is one of the city’s projects implemented under the build–operate–transfer (BOT) model, supported by special mechanisms under Resolution 98 that allow HCMC to pilot flexible investment policies.
The project consists of two components. The first, funded by the city budget, covers site clearance, compensation, resettlement, and construction of the two interchanges, with total investment estimated at VND3.8 trillion, including about VND1.4 trillion for compensation and VND2.4 trillion for interchange construction.
The second component, which involves upgrading and expanding the main road, will be carried out by private investors under the BOT model.
The Nguyen Van Linh–Nguyen Huu Tho interchange has already seen partial completion under Phase 1, with two underground tunnels on Nguyen Van Linh Boulevard helping reduce traffic bottlenecks in the area.
Construction of the next phase is scheduled to begin in 2026 and be completed by 2028. Once finished, the North–South Axis Road will form a high-capacity corridor linking downtown HCMC with the Saigon South urban area, Hiep Phuoc Port, and major routes such as Beltways 3 and 4 and the Ben Luc–Long Thanh Expressway.
