The southern gateway area of Ho Chi Minh City still has 2 degraded iron bridges, posing a potential safety risk. Meanwhile, the new bridge construction project, although started, is still slow in progress, causing people to continue waiting.
One of the 2 seriously degraded bridges is Rach Tom bridge on Le Van Luong street - an important traffic route connecting the South of Ho Chi Minh City with neighboring localities, with a fairly large traffic volume. The old iron bridge has existed for many years, the bridge deck is narrow and degraded, and every time cars run through, it often shakes violently, causing people to worry.
To replace the old bridge, in July 2025, Ho Chi Minh City started construction of the new Rach Tom bridge (Hiep Phuoc commune) with a total investment of nearly 497 billion VND. The project is about 684 m long, including a 174 m long bridge section and a 510 m long and 15 m wide access road with 4 lanes. The project is expected to contribute to completing the transport infrastructure of the Southern city area, promoting socio-economic development in the region.
However, according to actual records, after nearly a year of starting construction, the project is still being constructed sparingly. The construction site is deserted of manpower, currently mainly only dismantling houses, handing over land, leveling and constructing pile foundations. Some households that have not handed over land also affect the overall progress of the project. According to the plan, the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
As someone who regularly crosses Rach Tom bridge, Mr. Tran Van Hung, a technology motorbike taxi driver, hopes that the project will soon be accelerated: "The bridge is small but traffic is crowded, and traffic jams occur every rush hour. Now I just hope the new bridge will be completed soon to make travel less difficult.
Not only Rach Tom bridge, at the gateway to Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh, there is still an iron bridge that has existed for more than half a century, seriously degraded but has not been replaced - Rach Doi bridge (Hiep Phuoc commune). This bridge has an old structure, narrow bridge deck, many peeling and rusty positions, causing difficulties for traffic and potential safety risks.
People living around the area said they hope new bridge projects will be implemented soon or construction progress will be accelerated so that travel is more convenient and safer, while reducing congestion on key roads connecting Ho Chi Minh City with neighboring provinces.
This bridge is too old, the bridge deck is narrow and trucks run all day. Many sections look rusty iron, passing by is also worrying," said Mr. Le Van Tam (a resident living near the bridge).
The new Rach Doi bridge construction project was approved by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council in 2016 with a total investment of about 781 billion VND. However, after that, the project had to be temporarily suspended and has not yet been implemented. At the end of 2025, the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board said that the goal is to start construction in 2026 and complete it in 2028, but so far the project has not been able to be implemented in practice.
The early investment in building the new Rach Doi bridge is considered urgent to replace the old degraded bridge, ensure traffic safety, and strengthen infrastructure connectivity between Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh, contributing to promoting socio-economic development in the region.
