It is expected that by the end of 2026, Phase 1 of Long Thanh International Airport will enter commercial operation. Along with this, many new industrial zones are being invested in and constructed, leading to a sharp increase in transport and cargo circulation demands. Therefore, it is necessary to soon expand expressways, ring roads, and national highways within the city to meet development demands in the new phase.

Upgrading the Arterial Transportation System

In August 2025, the project to upgrade and expand the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh section of the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway officially commenced construction. Investing in the expansion of this expressway section is an urgent requirement to serve traffic when Phase 1 of Long Thanh Airport enters operation. This is because it will be the primary traffic route from Long Thanh Airport to Ho Chi Minh City and vice versa during the initial phase of operation.

Officially completed and put into operation in 2015, the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway has played an important role in connecting Dong Nai City with Ho Chi Minh City as well as the inner Southeast region. However, with the rapid increase in traffic volume, shortly after being put into operation, this 4-lane expressway soon fell into a state of overload.

In the southern area of Dong Nai City, besides the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway, the Phan Thiet - Dau Giay expressway was also officially put into operation in 2023. Additionally, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau and Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressways, along with Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3, will also be officially put into synchronized operation in 2026. The common feature of all these projects is that they are constructed with a 4-lane scale.

Alongside expressways and ring roads, the system of national highways, particularly National Highway 1 passing through Dong Nai City, has long been overloaded.

Given the aforementioned reality, calculating plans to expand expressways, ring roads, and national highways in Dong Nai City, especially in the southern area of the city, also needs to be promoted early.

According to Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee Vo Tan Duc, Phase 2 of the Long Thanh Airport Project is currently being proposed for investment by central agencies. Therefore, for Dong Nai City, functional agencies of the city also need to calculate and prepare plans to expand the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway and Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 to create traffic "arteries" when Long Thanh Airport enters operation in subsequent phases.

Formulating Expansion Plans for Multiple Expressway Sections

In early June 2026, the Ministry of Construction sent a document to 11 localities, including Dong Nai City, to collect feedback on the pre-feasibility study report for the Eastern North-South Expressway Section Expansion Investment Project.

According to the Ministry of Construction, implementing the medium-term public investment plan for the 2026-2030 period, the Ministry of Construction has organized the formulation of the pre-feasibility study report for the Eastern North-South Expressway Section Expansion Investment Project, which expects to expand sections with a 4-lane scale up to a complete 6-lane expressway scale.

The Eastern North-South Expressway route passing through Dong Nai City consists of 3 sections: Phan Thiet - Dau Giay, Dau Giay - Long Thanh (belonging to the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway), and Long Thanh - Ben Luc. Currently, these sections have all been completed and put into operation with a complete 4-lane scale.

In addition to expressways and ring roads, Dong Nai City also recommended that central agencies consider investing in the expansion of National Highway 1 passing through the city to reach a scale of 6-8 lanes.

Previously, during a working session between a central delegation and the Standing Committee of the Dong Nai City Party Committee, the city also recommended that the Central Government pay attention to investing in regional connectivity infrastructure works connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Long Thanh Airport. Among these, Dong Nai City recommended expanding the Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway section to a 10-lane scale for synchronized operation with the ongoing Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway expansion project. At the same time, it recommended expanding the Phan Thiet - Dau Giay expressway according to the 6-8 lane planning and expanding the section of Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 passing through the city to an 8-lane expressway scale.

Phạm Tùng

--Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/