Only cars with fewer than 9 seats are allowed to travel on the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway
The Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway, about 54km long, has been put into temporary operation on the entire route since May 2026, with the expectation of reducing congestion on National Highway 51, shortening travel time between Ho Chi Minh City - Dong Nai - Vung Tau (old) and promoting regional economic development.
However, currently this route only allows cars carrying people under 9 seats to circulate, making it impossible for many other types of vehicles to use the new route to travel to Vung Tau.
At the same time, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway is also limiting the maximum traffic speed to 80km/h, and has not yet applied the maximum speed according to the initial design of 100km/h.
Cars with 9 seats or more going to Vung Tau still have to travel along National Highway 51
Currently, the common option from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau for cars with 9 seats or more is still to go in the direction of Ho Chi Minh City to the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway, then turn onto National Highway 51 to move to Vung Tau. This is also a route for fixed-route passenger transport vehicles.
If traveling from Tan Son Nhat airport to Vung Tau along the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway, the distance is about 107km with a minimum of 160 minutes by car. If traveling along National Highway 51, the distance is similar but the minimum driving time is about 190 minutes, depending on the time and traffic situation.
However, in reality, the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway often experiences serious traffic jams on weekdays. Therefore, some drivers traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau chose to turn into Ring Road 3 to reach Nhon Trach commune, after traveling a short distance at the beginning of the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway. Then continue to move to the Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway section to get to National Highway 51, and then follow this route to move to Vung Tau. This distance has a total length of about 115km and a minimum driving time of about 190 minutes, depending on the time and traffic situation.
Things to note when traveling to Vung Tau during the 2/9 holiday.
This is just a comparison level for reference, because on weekends, holidays or peak hours, many areas are often crowded with traffic, causing congestion at intersections, leading to travel time that can be significantly extended. Therefore, the actual travel time may affect the sightseeing schedule, room receipt, meals or pre-booked programs.
It is expected that during the September 2nd holiday, the Vung Tau area will welcome a fairly large number of visitors, so tourists can pre-book rooms and services from reputable channels to ensure a smooth trip. However, it is necessary to carefully check when many pages have posted cheap room booking content with inaccurate information to defraud and appropriate money.
