Ho Chi Minh City and the neighboring province of Dong Nai plan to build three new bridges to boost connectivity, but the two economic hubs in southern Vietnam have yet to reach a consensus on the timeline for the projects.
For the planned Cat Lai bridge, Dong Nai province proposed the project would have eight lanes and investment could be initiated before 2025 in a move to replace the Cat Lai ferry service. However, HCMC's Department of Transport said the Ministry of Transport is already investing in the Nhon Trach bridge connecting Dong Nai and HCMC as part of the city's under-construction Ring Road 3.
The Nhon Trach bridge would help boost connectivity between the two localities, so HCMC suggested the construction of the Cat Lai bridge should begin after 2030, with six lanes.
Regarding the planned Phu My 2 bridge to link southern HCMC and Nhon Trach district in Dong Nai, HCMC's transport department said construction could take place from 2026-2030, also with six lanes.
For the Dong Nai 2 bridge to connect HCMC's Thu Duc city with Dong Nai's Long Thanh district, the department recommended the bridge be built with six lanes from 2026-2030.
Dong Nai and HCMC are separated by four rivers, namely Dong Nai, Long Tau, Dong Tranh, and Thi Vai. The major roads connecting the two areas are national highways No.1 and 1K via the neighboring province of Binh Duong, the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway, and the Long Thanh bridge. However, these routes are overloaded.