Southern Ho Chi Minh City transport infrastructure: Status overview and impact (updated september 2026)
PART 1: OVERVIEW OF PROJECT STATUS
Inter-regional corridor
Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway: Approximately 57.8 km long, running through Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh and Dong Nai. Construction volume has reached about 99% of contract value, with full-route opening targeted for September 2026. The western section from the Binh Chanh interchange to the Nguyen Van Tao interchange has been in operation since 28 April 2025. The final item is Phuoc Khanh Bridge, whose spans were joined in July 2026. The project's schedule has been revised several times from its original 2018 target.
Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway: Approximately 57.8 km long, running through Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh and Dong Nai. Construction volume has reached about 99% of contract value, with full-route opening targeted for September 2026. The western section from the Binh Chanh interchange to the Nguyen Van Tao interchange has been in operation since 28 April 2025. The final item is Phuoc Khanh Bridge, whose spans were joined in July 2026. The project's schedule has been revised several times from its original 2018 target.
The completed section of the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway across Phuoc Khanh Bridge.
Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3: The original milestone under Resolution No. 105/NQ-CP was completion of the entire route before 30 June 2026. Under the revised plan, about 38.6 km of the main route is to be completed before 30 September 2026, and the entire 70.4 km main route together with about 75 km of parallel and frontage roads before 30 December 2026. The main cause of the delay is soft-soil treatment on the western sections; the change in construction methods has nearly doubled costs, and the price adjustment has not yet been approved.
Radial axes and intra-regional connections
Upgrade of the North - South axis (Nguyen Huu Tho), from Nguyen Van Linh to the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway. About 8 km long, with total investment of nearly VND 9,894 billion: widening to 60 m/10 lanes, a 6.6 km four-lane elevated road with a design speed of 80 km/h, and three-lane parallel roads on each side. The state budget portion of about VND 3,800 billion covers site clearance and two interchanges (including completion of the Nguyen Van Tao - Nguyen Huu Tho interchange, which currently operates in an incomplete configuration); the BOT portion is about VND 6,100 billion. Construction is planned to start in Q4/2026 and finish in Q4/2028.
Upgrade of the North - South axis (Nguyen Huu Tho), from Nguyen Van Linh to the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway. About 8 km long, with total investment of nearly VND 9,894 billion: widening to 60 m/10 lanes, a 6.6 km four-lane elevated road with a design speed of 80 km/h, and three-lane parallel roads on each side. The state budget portion of about VND 3,800 billion covers site clearance and two interchanges (including completion of the Nguyen Van Tao - Nguyen Huu Tho interchange, which currently operates in an incomplete configuration); the BOT portion is about VND 6,100 billion. Construction is planned to start in Q4/2026 and finish in Q4/2028.
Interchange between the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway and National Highway 50. Approved for full investment with capital of about VND 591 billion, as a trumpet interchange approximately 1.3 km long. Its purpose is to resolve a bottleneck: National Highway 50 has been widened to 6 lanes, while the overpass and bridge approach at the interchange have only 4 lanes.
Widening of National Highway 50 (Binh Chanh section). More than 8 km long, with capital of nearly VND 1,500 billion, comprising newly built parallel roads and widening of the existing route.
Three southern axes - Nguyen Van Tao, Le Van Luong, Nguyen Binh: Total estimated capital exceeds VND 41,000 billion. Nguyen Van Tao, about 10 km, is proposed to be widened to 60 m with 8–10 lanes, with a direct connection to the Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressway under consideration (about VND 20,748 billion); Le Van Luong, about 8.6 km, 40 m, 8 lanes (over VND 11,000 billion); Nguyen Binh, about 8.8 km from Huynh Tan Phat to Cay Kho Bridge, 40 m, 8 lanes (about VND 9,598 billion). The projects are currently at the pre-feasibility study stage, expected to be submitted for investment policy approval in 2026, and have not yet started construction.
Provincial Road DT.826E: Inaugurated in January 2025, connecting the Long Hau Industrial Park area with National Highway 50.
Provincial Road DT.827E/ National Highway 50B. The section through Tay Ninh is about 35.6 km long, starting at Km0+000 at the Ho Chi Minh City border in the former Long Hau Commune. The Ho Chi Minh City section (the Chanh Hung Road extension) is under feasibility review and pre-feasibility study appraisal.
Port and aviation hubs
Long Thanh International Airport - Phase 1: Construction is targeted for completion in Q3/2026, with commercial operation in Q4/2026.
Long Thanh International Airport - Phase 1: Construction is targeted for completion in Q3/2026, with commercial operation in Q4/2026.
Can Gio International Transshipment Port: The consortium of VIMC - Saigon Port - MSC/TIL was approved as investor in April 2026, with construction targeted to start in Q4/2026.
Soai Rap Channel (serving the Hiep Phuoc port cluster): Under the master plan, the channel is 66.6 km long, 140 - 170 m wide, with a design depth of -12 m, accommodating fully laden 50,000 DWT vessels and partially laden 70,000 DWT vessels. After maintenance dredging in early 2026, actual depths vary between sections (about 4.6 m in some sections, about 6.4 - 6.7 m in others). In January 2026, the Ministry of Construction agreed to study an option to reach -9.5 m for the 2026–2027 period; in June 2026, VIMC proposed upgrade dredging to about -12 m.
OVERVIEW: HOW DOES THE INFRASTRUCTURE CHAIN CONNECT?
Taken together, these projects form a three-layer structure.
Taken together, these projects form a three-layer structure.
The inter-regional layer consists of the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway and Ring Road 3: for the first time, an expressway corridor runs across the south of Ho Chi Minh City, linking the Mekong Delta with the Southeast region without passing through the urban core.
The radial layer comprises the Nguyen Huu Tho axis and the three axes of Nguyen Van Tao, Le Van Luong and Nguyen Binh, linking the city centre to the southern area and intersecting the inter-regional layer at the Nguyen Van Tao and National Highway 50 interchanges.
The hub layer includes the Hiep Phuoc port cluster, the future Can Gio port, the Cai Mep - Thi Vai port cluster and Long Thanh Airport - all located on or near the inter-regional corridor. National Highway 50, DT.826E and DT.827E serve as supporting connections between southern Ho Chi Minh City and the former Long An province.
Note on the 2026 – 2028 transition period. The projects will not be completed at the same time. The Nguyen Huu Tho axis - already congested with trucks and containers at peak hours - will be under construction from late 2026 to 2028. The Nguyen Van Tao interchange is operating in an incomplete configuration, and the National Highway 50 interchange is awaiting full investment to resolve its lane bottleneck. Ring Road 3 has pushed back its milestones due to geological conditions. The three southern axes are still in the preparation stage. The Soai Rap Channel has not yet reached its planned depth. Businesses making decisions during this period will operate under transitional infrastructure conditions, not the fully planned state; some of the milestones above are targets and may be further adjusted.
PART 2: EXPECTED POSITIVE IMPACTS
Ending the "back-to-back" position of two logistics poles: Deep-water ports and the international airport lie to the East; the raw material areas and consumer markets of the Mekong Delta lie to the West. Previously, cargo flows in either direction had to pass through the urban core or congested national highways, or businesses had to maintain two distribution points. The East - West corridor allows a single point of origin to serve both directions.
Ending the "back-to-back" position of two logistics poles: Deep-water ports and the international airport lie to the East; the raw material areas and consumer markets of the Mekong Delta lie to the West. Previously, cargo flows in either direction had to pass through the urban core or congested national highways, or businesses had to maintain two distribution points. The East - West corridor allows a single point of origin to serve both directions.
Reducing dependence on the urban road network: Inter-regional cargo can bypass the urban core, easing pressure on inner-city roads and reducing variability in transit times - a key factor for export goods that must meet cut-off times at ports and airports.
Elevating the role of the Nha Be - Hiep Phuoc – Can Giuoc corridor: This area has long had industrial land and proximity to Ho Chi Minh City's labour pool, but limited connectivity. As the inter-regional and radial layers intersect here, the area shifts from a one-way gateway to a junction of multiple transport directions.
Enabling multimodal transport: The combination of the expressway, the Hiep Phuoc port cluster, the future Can Gio port and Long Thanh Airport makes it possible to combine road, sea and air transport within a single chain, suited to exporters handling both high-volume cargo and high-value goods requiring fast delivery.
Expanding production site options around Ho Chi Minh City: For businesses seeking new locations or expansion, bordering industrial parks with direct connections to the inter-regional network become a distinct group of options: within reach of Ho Chi Minh City's workforce and supplier ecosystem, while offering multi-directional transport connectivity.
LONG HAU INDUSTRIAL PARK'S POSITION IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK
Long Hau Industrial Park is located in Can Giuoc Commune, Tay Ninh Province (formerly Long An), adjacent to the southern border of Ho Chi Minh City, on the Nguyen Huu Tho – Nguyen Van Tao axis. The industrial park accesses the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway at the Nguyen Van Tao interchange, connects to National Highway 50 via DT.826E, sits at the starting point of DT.827E, and is adjacent to the Hiep Phuoc port cluster.
Long Hau Industrial Park is located in Can Giuoc Commune, Tay Ninh Province (formerly Long An), adjacent to the southern border of Ho Chi Minh City, on the Nguyen Huu Tho – Nguyen Van Tao axis. The industrial park accesses the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway at the Nguyen Van Tao interchange, connects to National Highway 50 via DT.826E, sits at the starting point of DT.827E, and is adjacent to the Hiep Phuoc port cluster.
Long Hau Industrial Park is situated at the Nguyen Van Tao intersection, providing direct access to the Southwestern and Southeastern regions via the Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressway.
Mr. Bui Le Anh Hieu – Corporate Development Director of Long Hau Corporation commented: "We are seeing the new infrastructure change how businesses weigh their choice of location – not just in terms of distance, but in terms of how many directions a site offers within its operating routes, including the ability to retain its workforce. The 2027-2028 period will bring some inconvenience from construction on the main arteries, and we believe businesses should plan for that in advance. But in the long run, being located at the junction of a radial axis and an inter-regional corridor opens up operating options for manufacturers that optimise long-term costs".
