HCMC – Vehicles will be banned from entering the Saigon River tunnel, connecting Thu Duc City and District 1 in HCMC, for fire drills from 7:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. between May 20 and 26, according to the HCMC Department of Transport.
The tunnel will also be closed from 7:45 a.m to 11:00 a.m on May 27 and 28 from both sides as the city conducts regular fire drills.
During the closure, vehicles traveling from District 1 to Thu Duc City should follow the alternative route of Vo Van Kiet-Ton Duc Thang-Thu Thiem 2 Bridge-To Huu-Mai Chi Tho. Those traveling from Thu Duc City to District 1 can use the Mai Chi Tho-To Huu-Thu Thiem 2 Bridge-Le Duan-Nam Ky Khoi Nghia-Vo Van Kiet route.
The Saigon River tunnel, also known as the Thu Thiem tunnel, was put into service 12 years ago. The six-lane tunnel measures 1.49 kilometers in length, 33 meters in width and nine meters in height, allowing vehicles to travel at a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour. Currently, around 55,000 automobiles and 300,000 motorbikes travel through the tunnel daily.
