Construction has officially begun on a 13-kilometer section of the road connecting Ma Da Bridge—located near the former border with Binh Phuoc Province—to Ba Hao Junction as part of the Ma Da Bridge–Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 4 Connection Project. What makes this section particularly remarkable is that it runs entirely through a protected primary forest.

Noise barriers will be installed along both sides of the elevated roadway. Photo: Courtesy of the Investor.

A Green Infrastructure Project

Component Project No. 1, which covers the road from Ma Da Bridge to Ba Hao Junction, forms part of the larger Ma Da Bridge–Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 4 Connection Project. The project is being implemented under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, with Dai Quang Minh Real Estate Investment JSC serving as the project investor.

Because the route passes entirely through the primary forest of the Dong Nai Nature and Cultural Reserve, the entire road section has been designed as an elevated structure.

According to the investor, the project traverses the core area of the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, recognized by UNESCO in 2011, and the Dong Nai Nature and Cultural Reserve, which was designated an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2025. To minimize environmental impacts, the proposed design features a continuous multi-span viaduct without bearings. Each unit consists of six spans with a total length of 240 meters, elevated 9–12 meters above the natural terrain.

"This design creates an open ecological corridor beneath the structure, allowing wildlife to move safely while preserving green space and supporting the regeneration and long-term growth of the forest vegetation," said Nguyen Hoang Tue, Deputy General Director of THACO Group and General Director of Dai Quang Minh Real Estate Investment JSC.

The elevated roadway is designed to stand 9–12 meters above the natural ground, ensuring safe wildlife movement. Photo: Courtesy of the Investor.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Tue added that, recognizing the importance of environmental conservation, the company approached the project with great caution immediately after receiving investment approval. The investor also consulted conservation experts, scientists, government agencies, research institutes, and universities to identify the most environmentally responsible design solution.

Component Project No. 1 is the first project in Vietnam to adopt a balanced cantilever segmental construction method. This technology reduces material consumption and carbon emissions while meeting green building standards and minimizing impacts on the surrounding ecosystem.

Under this construction approach, only bored piles and pier foundations are built on-site. All bridge piers and girder segments are prefabricated at an off-site factory using industrial production lines, ensuring consistent quality, structural precision, aesthetic value, and cost efficiency.

"The prefabrication plant is located approximately five kilometers outside the Dong Nai Nature and Cultural Reserve, allowing efficient transportation and installation while shortening the construction schedule," Mr. Nguyen Hoang Tue explained.

According to Ho Van Ha, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai City People's Committee, the groundbreaking of Component Project No. 1 fulfills the long-standing aspiration of local residents by restoring transportation links and facilitating travel and trade between the former Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc provinces, now connecting the southern and northern parts of Dong Nai City.

A Strategic Development Corridor

Following the recent provincial administrative restructuring, one of the greatest challenges facing Dong Nai City has been limited transportation connectivity between its northern and southern areas.

To address this bottleneck, the city has planned and launched the Ma Da Bridge–Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 4 Connection Project.

According to Vice Chairman Ho Van Ha, the project holds strategic significance for Dong Nai City's long-term spatial development. Once completed, it will create a major transportation corridor that not only provides direct north-south connectivity within the city but also establishes a fully integrated interregional route.

The new corridor will become the shortest and fastest connection between Vietnam's Central Highlands and Dong Nai City, providing direct access to Long Thanh International Airport and the Cai Mep–Thi Vai deep-water port complex. It is expected to open up new opportunities for regional development while strengthening links between Dong Nai's industrial zones, logistics centers, seaports, and airport infrastructure.

"This corridor will connect key economic growth poles, expand opportunities for industrial, tourism, and urban development, improve land-use efficiency, attract investment, and enhance Dong Nai City's competitiveness for decades to come," Ho Van Ha emphasized.

Associate Professor Tran Quang Phu, Vice Rector of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport, also noted that the transportation corridor linking Dong Xoai to Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 4 via Provincial Road DT753, Ma Da Bridge, and the new connector road will become one of the region's most important transportation arteries, strengthening connectivity between northern and southern Dong Nai.

Phạm Tùng

Source: Báo Đồng Nai