Legislators approve 3 expressway projects in southern Vietnam

Vietnam’s law-making body on Thursday ratified a total VND84 trillion ($3.61 billion) to build three major expressways in the south.

The Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot expressway will be 117 kilometers long and cost nearly VND30,000 billion (almost $1.3 billion), to be financed by the state budget.

Some sections with high traffic volume would be completed by 2025, with completion of the entire route set for 2026.

This expressway is designed to form a horizontal axis connecting the Central Highlands with the south-central coastal region.

Construction of the 54-kilometer Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway would cost VND17,800 billion ($766 million) in phase one.

The route would maximize the potential of Cai Mep-Thi Vai Port in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, driving up development in the southeast region. Bien Hoa is a town in Dong Nai province, a manufacturing hub in southern Vietnam. This expressway is expected to open to traffic in 2026.

In Mekong Delta, the Chau Doc-Can Tho-Soc Trang Expressway will be 188 kilometers long and cost an estimated VND44,600 billion (over $1.9 billion), to be financed by the state budget.

It is designed to boost connectivity in An Giang, Hau Giang and Soc Trang provinces, and Can Tho city, the delta’s economic hub. Completion is set for 2026, and the project would open to traffic a year later.

Previously, the National Assembly approved investment policies for Hanoi’s Ring Road 4 and Ho Chi Minh City’s Ring Road 3.

Ring Road 4 in the Hanoi region will have a total length of 112.8 kilometers, running through the capital and neighboring provinces of Hung Yen and Bac Ninh. Construction is set to start this year and expected to be complete in 2027.

Ring Road 3 in HCMC will be 76.34 kilometers long and connect the southern economic hub with Dong Nai, Binh Duong, and Long An provinces. The route would open to traffic in 2026.