The Trạm 2 interchange on the Hà Nội Highway and National Highway 1A is a modern multi-level junction located at the eastern gateway of HCM City, linking to the southeastern and Central Highlands regions. — VNA/VNS Photo Trung Tuyến

HCM CITY — HCM City plans to make “breakthrough” investments in regional road and rail links in the 2026–30 period, Lương Minh Phúc, director of its Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Board, said. 

The merger of Bình Dương and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu provinces with it in July has thrown up vast opportunities for Việt Nam’s southern economic hub to expand its development space and strengthen its role as the nation’s growth engine.

Phúc said demand for inter-regional transport is set to surge following the merger.

“Speeding up transport projects, upgrading existing roads and planning new connections are key steps to unlocking the city’s potential.”  

Among the priorities are completing the Biên Hòa–Vũng Tàu Expressway, accelerating construction of Ring Road No. 3 and starting work on Ring Road No. 4.

These projects, once finished, are expected to ease congestion, cut logistics costs, and create a platform for socio-economic growth.

But poor transport infrastructure linking the three former localities remains a major bottleneck, hindering the city’s ability to take full advantage of its combined strengths.

People travelling from Bình Dương into central HCM City rely mainly on National Highways 13 and 1A.

But the most direct route, National Highway 13, has long been plagued by severe congestion, particularly at the border between the erstwhile city and province.

Bình Dương has already widened its section of the highway to eight lanes, while HCM City’s section remains just four lanes, creating a “bottleneck” that causes traffic jams stretching more than a kilometre during peak hours.

At key junctions such as Bình Triệu Bridge, Vĩnh Bình Bridge and Phạm Văn Đồng intersection, thousands of vehicles, including trucks and containers from Bình Dương’s industrial zones, move at a snail’s pace during peak hours.

Nguyễn Văn Quang, a truck driver on the Dĩ An–Bình Thạnh route, said a 20km trip can sometimes take more than an hour during peak hours.

“The stop-and-go traffic burns more fuel and adds costs for drivers and businesses.”

The Tân Vạn intersection, where National Highway 1A and several provincial roads converge, also suffers from chronic congestion, especially with construction work on Ring Road No. 3 underway.

Experts warn that without proper traffic management, this key gateway will continue to suffer gridlock, affecting freight transport and people’s daily commute.

A long line of vehicles heading towards Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in a traffic jam on Phạm Văn Đồng Street. — VNA/VNS Photo Tiến Lực

Strain on HCM City–Vũng Tàu route

On the eastern side, National Highway 51 remains the main artery connecting Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu with HCM City via Đồng Nai Province.

But it is severely degraded, with cracks, potholes and subsidence in many places.

It carries more than 60,000 vehicles a day, five to six times its intended capacity, and most of them container trucks heading to or from the busy seaports along the route.

Although the ferry service linking Vũng Tàu and Cần Giờ, launched in 2021, offers an alternative, its high fares, limited schedule and vulnerability to bad weather have restricted its appeal.

For most travellers and businesses, National Highway 51 remains the default option despite worsening delays.

A representative of a transport company running passenger and cargo services between Vũng Tàu and Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport said traffic jams on National Highway No. 51 sometimes last up to six hours, severely disrupting operations.

“We hope the authorities will quickly repair and widen the highway and speed up construction of the Biên Hòa–Vũng Tàu Expressway.”

According to experts, Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu’s ports, including the Cái Mép–Thị Vải deep-water cluster, have enormous potential but are hampered by poor road connectivity.

Trần Đình Cung, former director of the Central Institute for Economic Management, said: “Unless the Biên Hòa–Vũng Tàu Expressway and Ring Road No. 4 are put into operation soon, the region’s advantages will remain underutilised.”

Bình Dương-based logistics companies complain that transport costs have risen by 10–15 per cent due to longer travel times and higher fuel consumption.

Some exporters have had to adjust schedules or reroute vehicles, again pushing up costs.

Trương Minh Huy Vũ, head of the HCM City Institute for Development Studies, identified infrastructure as the city’s “biggest bottleneck.”

He stressed the need for a dedicated freight railway to connect major industrial zones with seaports, reducing dependence on road transport.

A representative of PV Gas said transporting gas from Thị Vải Port to Bình Dương is costly and inefficient.

“If industrial parks are built closer to deep-water ports, logistics expenses will be far lower.” — VNS