HCMC – The Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway is facing delays due to land clearance and relocation challenges, and a shortage of embankment soil, according to the Ministry of Construction.
Divided into three sections, the project has seen uneven progress. Authorities have transferred 77% of the required land for Section 1, but compensation for 548 households remains unresolved. For Section 2, 92.8% of land has been handed over, yet the sites for key components—including an underpass and several bridge piers—remain obstructed. Section 3 has completed its land clearance and site handover.
Resettlement delays and the relocation of technical infrastructure pose additional risks. If these issues are not resolved by March, the project’s timeline will be further impacted, the local media reported.
The expressway is also facing a critical shortage of soil for embankment construction. Section 1 requires 2.11 million cubic meters but has received only 0.31 million cubic meters. The approved extraction rate of 800 cubic meters per day falls far short of the required 20,000 cubic meters.
Section 2 needs 3.2 million cubic meters, but only 0.33 million cubic meters has been delivered. While 1.3 million cubic meters has been approved, another 1.6 million cubic meters is still awaiting authorization from Dong Nai Province. The current extraction rate of 10,000 cubic meters per day is significantly below the required 36,000 cubic meters.
The Ministry of Construction has urged Dong Nai authorities to finalize land clearance and infrastructure relocation by March 30 and approve embankment soil extraction permits by March 15. Additionally, construction stone allocation must be expedited.
With a total length of 53.7 kilometers, the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway has 34.2 kilometers in Dong Nai and 19.5 kilometers in Ba Ria-Vung Tau. The first phase, estimated at VND17.84 trillion, will initially feature four to six lanes, with plans to expand to six to eight lanes.
The project consists of three sections: Dong Nai Province is overseeing the 16-kilometer Section 1, with an investment of VND6 trillion; the Ministry of Construction is in charge of the 18.2-kilometer Section 2, which costs VND6.85 trillion; and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province is responsible for Section 3, which is 19.5 kilometers long and requires VND4.96 trillion.
