An Phu intersection "liberates" the road to the expressway
The road from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway is now significantly more open after the HC1-02 underpass at An Phu intersection officially opened to traffic. According to records, in the past time, An Phu intersection has always been a "black spot" of congestion, especially during peak hours or peak periods of holidays and Tet.
Mr. Nguyen Van Binh (45 years old, truck driver) said that it currently only takes about 1 minute to drive through the underpass. "Previously, during peak hours, it took nearly 30 minutes to overcome the intersection. Even during off-peak hours, we had to wait for red lights twice, which was very time-consuming," Mr. Binh said.
According to Mr. Le Ngoc Hung - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Transport Board, the An Phu intersection project is being exploited in stages. Previously, the HC1-01 underpass at the Mai Chi Tho - Dong Van Cong intersection was opened to traffic at the end of June 2025; the N2 bridge branch (turning right from the expressway to Mai Chi Tho) was opened to traffic at the end of 2025.
After the HC1-02 underpass, the remaining bridge branches will continue to be completed in 2026. When the entire project is completed, the area's traffic capacity will increase sharply, not only reducing congestion but also serving well the connection of Long Thanh ports and airports and the Southeast region.
Nhon Trach Bridge, the new expressway divides the fire at the eastern gateway
Along with the An Phu intersection, the opening of Nhon Trach bridge on Ring Road 3 of Ho Chi Minh City from August 2025 has opened a completely new direction of movement from the East of Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai.
Thanks to this bridge, vehicles from Ho Chi Minh City to Nhon Trach, Long Thanh, Ba Ria - Vung Tau no longer have to be concentrated on Hanoi Highway, Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway or Cat Lai ferry as before. The number of private cars and light trucks has been distributed to the Nhon Trach bridge direction, helping people's journeys to be more flexible, especially during peak periods of returning home and traveling during Tet.
Notably, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway is expected to open to traffic and temporarily operate 18km section passing through Dong Nai before the Lunar New Year 2026. When put into use, this route will greatly reduce pressure on National Highway 51 - a vital route that has been seriously overloaded for many years.
Currently, the Long Thanh intersection - where the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway connects to the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway - has been basically completed and ready for operation. The component project through the Ba Ria - Vung Tau area (now Ho Chi Minh City) has also been opened to traffic since April 2025, waiting for synchronous connection before Tet.
At the western gateway, the Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway has opened to traffic the section from the HCMC - Trung Luong expressway intersection to the Nguyen Van Tao intersection (HCMC), contributing to reducing congestion and sharing traffic pressure for National Highway 1, Nguyen Van Linh road and the HCMC - Trung Luong expressway access route during Tet.
Tan Son Nhat T3 station "cools down" travel pressure during Tet
Not only roads, aviation in Ho Chi Minh City also has a major shift when terminal T3 of Tan Son Nhat airport officially opened on April 19, 2025.
With a total investment of more than 11,000 billion VND, Terminal T3 has a capacity of 20 million passengers/year, is the largest domestic terminal in the country, raising the total operating capacity of Tan Son Nhat airport to 50 million passengers per year.
Currently, Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, Vasco, Bamboo Airways and Vietravel Airlines have moved all operations to Terminal T3, only Vietjet Air operates at Terminal T1. Thanks to that, this Tet holiday is expected to no longer have scenes of passengers jostling and queuing for procedures like in previous years.
Outside the airport, the road connecting Tran Quoc Hoan - Cong Hoa with 6 lanes has been put into use, directly connecting to terminal T3. Vehicles are no longer concentrated on Truong Son street, thereby significantly reducing pressure on the area around the airport.
Proactively divert traffic, increase public transport
Representatives of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction said that the Traffic Police force will be deployed to "be on duty" at gateways, ready to adjust traffic flow, open and close lanes flexibly when the number of vehicles increases suddenly. Regulation is implemented early and remotely, without prolonged traffic jams before handling.
In the inner city, public passenger transport units are also increasing capacity to serve Tet. Metro Line No. 1 increases trips during peak hours, combined with a transit bus system, helping people access bus stations and train stations more conveniently, limiting private cars from pouring into the center.
