According to records as of 4 pm on September 15, the underpass in front of the new Mien Dong Bus Station (Long Binh ward) is still submerged in water.
The flooded section is about 200m long, the water level is nearly half a wheel, making many motorcyclists afraid to pass, having to turn around to find another direction.
This is a tunnel 670m long, 8m wide, with a total construction cost of about 75 billion VND, opened to traffic in early 2023. The project is only for 2-wheeled vehicles and cars, is an item of the overpass project in front of the new Mien Dong Bus Station, to increase traffic connectivity at the eastern gateway of Ho Chi Minh City.
Notably, since being put into operation, this tunnel has been frequently flooded every time heavy rain appears. The management unit then installed a pumping system and cameras to monitor and proactively handle flooding. However, the flooding situation still recurs.
Not only the underpass in front of the new Mien Dong Bus Station, another project in the eastern gateway area of Ho Chi Minh City has also just fallen into a similar situation.
On the evening of September 10, the HC1-02 underpass at An Phu intersection (Binh Trung ward), connecting Mai Chi Tho street with the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway, was flooded about 1m after heavy rain.
Water overflowing into the tunnel caused the project to be temporarily closed, affecting people's travel through the eastern gateway area.
Fire prevention and fighting forces and Ho Chi Minh City Urban Drainage One Member Limited Liability Company were mobilized to support pumping water out. By 1:45 PM on September 11, the water had been pumped out.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (Traffic Board), the HC1-02 underpass has completed the tunnel section and was opened to traffic from February 2026, while the entire package has only reached more than 90% of its value.
Since opening to traffic, the drainage system in the tunnel has been operated by temporary pumps, with a capacity that only meets about 70% of the designed capacity of the main pumping system.
Currently, the construction and installation of the pumping station has been about 80% completed. The Traffic Management Board requests the contractor to focus on construction, strive to complete and put the main pumping system into operation from September 22, 2026.
At the same time, the Traffic Board said that it will request construction units to organize construction to raise the road surface and renovate the drainage system to ensure drainage capacity in the intersection area in October 2026.
