On the morning of July 16, at the signing ceremony of a syndicated credit contract worth 27,094 billion VND for the project to expand the arterial expressway connecting Ho Chi Minh City with the Mekong Delta, the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) and 5 commercial banks signed a syndicated credit contract with Saigon - My Thuan Expressway BOT Co., Ltd. The event marked an important step forward, demonstrating Agribank's commitment to accompanying the development of key national transport infrastructure.
As one of the 6 commercial banks participating in providing capital for the Project, together with Vietcombank, VietinBank, BIDV, TPBank and VPBank, Agribank continues to affirm its role in creating a solid financial foundation for the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong - My Thuan expressway expansion project from 4 lanes to 6-8 lanes. Agribank Binh Thanh Branch is the focal point for implementation, participating in credit granting with a total value of 2,032 billion VND.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Bui Xuan Dung, Deputy Minister of Construction, said that the participation of 6 commercial banks in capital financing shows that the investment plan and financial plan of the Project have been carefully researched and appraised; and at the same time expresses confidence in the capacity of the investor consortium and the prospects of the Project.
The Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong - My Thuan expressway expansion project is more than 96 km long, passing through Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh and Dong Thap, started in December 2025, and is expected to be completed and put into operation in 2028. The actual operation shows that the traffic volume on the entire route is increasing rapidly, at times exceeding 60,000 vehicles per day, significantly higher than the initial design scale.
The investment in expanding and completing the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong - My Thuan expressway aims to reduce traffic congestion; at the same time, along with traffic projects being exploited and implemented in the region, contributing to the formation of a synchronous traffic network in the Southern Key Economic Region and gradually completing the expressway network in the Mekong Delta region. The project is expected to meet transportation needs from the Mekong Delta provinces to Ho Chi Minh City, the Southeast region and localities across the country; create space and momentum to expand regional development space with a synchronous technical infrastructure and social infrastructure system; strengthen connectivity between economic centers, international border gates and seaports; improve competitiveness, promote regional economic development and contribute to ensuring national defense and security.
Mr. Ho Minh Hoang, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Deo Ca Group, representative of the investor consortium, said that the participation of 6 banks in providing credit is more meaningful than the value of a financial contract. This is the belief formed from completed projects, commitments that have been made and responsibilities that the parties share throughout the cooperation process to develop the country's infrastructure system.
The project is implemented according to the expanded PPP++ model, with the participation of the business community, including investors, credit institutions and construction contractors. The synergy of resources helps the Project be more proactive in finance, construction organization and management throughout the investment life cycle, on the principle of harmonizing benefits, sharing risks and jointly performing responsibilities.
Clearly recognizing the importance of the Project, immediately after the investment policy was announced, Agribank actively coordinated closely with key banks and related parties, deploying rapid and professional appraisal work, contributing to unifying a suitable and effective financial plan. Participating in credit granting not only continues to affirm Agribank's long-term vision in accompanying the development of key national transport infrastructure, but also demonstrates the bank's responsibility for the socio-economic development of the Mekong Delta, a key agricultural sector that Agribank has always been attached to and accompanied.
When the arterial expressway is fully expanded, the transportation time of agricultural and aquatic products from the Mekong Delta region to the economic center of Ho Chi Minh City and export seaports will be significantly shortened, thereby reducing logistics costs and limiting post-harvest losses for people. By unlocking capital for large-scale transport infrastructure projects, Agribank continues to affirm its position as a key financial institution, pioneering and proactively accompanying the strategic goals of the Party, State and Government in implementing key national and local projects.
