Expressways, metro race progress with airports
Long Thanh Airport phase 1 has a designed capacity of 25 million passengers/year and 1.2 million tons of cargo/year. According to Vietnam Airports Corporation (ACV), when put into operation, most passengers need to travel from Long Thanh airport to Ho Chi Minh City and vice versa, making the formation of connecting traffic routes a key issue for Long Thanh airport to operate effectively.
However, currently highways are overloaded, causing connecting transport projects being implemented to have to urgently construct in time for synchronous operation with Long Thanh airport.
The Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai has been overloaded for many years. On August 19, 2025, the project to expand the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway section of the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway was officially started.
According to Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC), to date, the project has reached about 40% of the contract volume. Contractors have made many efforts in mobilizing and implementing construction to basically complete this urgent project in 2026, in order to ensure synchronous connection with Long Thanh airport. When completed by the end of 2026, the expressway section will be scaled up to 8-10 lanes, contributing to reducing traffic pressure at the eastern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City and strengthening connection with Long Thanh airport.
The Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway project has an important strategic location as it is located close to Long Thanh airport and connects with many other "backbone" routes. The Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway through Dong Nai province and Ho Chi Minh City has a total length of nearly 54km, divided into 3 component projects. To date, component project 2 (about 18km long) and component project 3 (about 19.5km long, technically opened) are completing the final items for operation on April 30, 2026. The most difficult thing at component project 1 (about 16km), Mr. Ho Van Ha - Vice Chairman of Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee said: Component project 1, Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway must ensure traffic opening by the end of April 2026 to operate synchronously with other component projects of the project.
The Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway has a route length of nearly 58km passing through the provinces of Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh, which is also a expressway playing a particularly important role in inter-regional connectivity, opening up a strategic traffic axis between the Mekong Delta and the Southeast, and also playing a connecting role, serving the operation of Long Thanh airport. To date, about 30km of the entire project has been put into operation. The construction of Phuoc Khanh bridge is one of the last completed packages of the project, which has now been completed by more than 96% and is expected to be completed in mid-June 2026.
Mr. Dang Huu Vi - Deputy Director of the Southern Expressway Management Board (Vietnam Expressway Development Investment Corporation - VEC) said that the contractor is urgently constructing to ensure the project completion progress in the third quarter of 2026.
Dong Nai will terminate contract with contractor to slow down progress
In addition to expressways, urban railway (metro) projects are being prepared for feasibility study reports and preparing for commencement. Thu Thiem - Long Thanh metro line (total length of 47.7km) combined with Ben Thanh - Tham Luong, Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem sections of metro line No. 2 helps directly connect Tan Son Nhat airport to Long Thanh airport. According to the plan, Ho Chi Minh City is expected to start the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh Metro Project in June 2026.
For the project to extend the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line to the administrative center of Dong Nai province and Long Thanh airport, the total length is 41.4km. According to Vice Chairman of Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Ha, Dong Nai sets a target to start construction of this project in 2026.
In addition, Dong Nai has key transport infrastructure projects under construction connecting Long Thanh airport such as: Component 3 Project of Ring Road 3 HCMC; Project to upgrade and expand Provincial Road 25B (section from the center of Nhon Trach commune to National Highway 51); Provincial Road 25C construction project (section from National Highway 51 to Huong Lo 19) and projects that are preparing procedures for implementation such as provincial roads DT. 769, DT. 770B and DT. 773 connecting the eastern and northeastern districts with Long Thanh airport.
Working with units and contractors constructing key projects, Vice Chairman of Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Ha emphasized that projects play an important role in connecting traffic to Long Thanh airport when put into operation and requested contractors to ensure the completion progress of projects according to commitments. Contractors who do not ensure the implementation progress according to commitments will terminate contracts and add subcontractors to ensure the completion progress of projects on schedule.
