This is considered the foundation for the city to form a modern, interconnected and strongly connected transportation framework with the region by 2030.
Traffic jam on all sides
At the gateway to the Northwest, the Truong Chinh - Cong Hoa axis plays a vital role, connecting District 12, Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Hoc Mon (formerly) with the center and Tan Son Nhat airport. Although the section from An Suong to Cong Hoa is 10 lanes wide, the 700m section from Truong Chinh to Au Co is narrowed to 4 lanes, creating a "bottleneck" that often causes congestion.
The Northeast gateway with Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, Dinh Bo Linh axes, National Highway 13 is the entrance to the center and the old Mien Dong bus station. However, the small road surface and large traffic volume cause prolonged congestion, especially during rush hour.
At the southern gateway, Nguyen Tat Thanh and Nguyen Huu Tho streets - Kenh Te bridge connect District 4, District 7, Nha Be district (formerly) with the center of Ho Chi Minh City. These routes are all overloaded due to narrow road surfaces and the number of vehicles far exceeding the exploitation capacity.
The western gateway, National Highway 1 is the main connecting route between Ho Chi Minh City and the western region, and at the same time intersects many major axes such as Vo Van Kiet, Nguyen Van Linh, Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway and leads to Mien Tay Bus Station. This section has always been a "bottleneck" for many years with narrow roads and frequent traffic jams.
Completing infrastructure, expanding regional connectivity
Director of the Department of Construction Tran Quang Lam said that the city will implement many projects to upgrade and expand gateways. For the Northwest gateway, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has assigned the Department of Construction to coordinate with the Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board to complete the dossier to adjust the investment policy for the two projects to expand Truong Chinh and Tan Ky Tan Quy streets.
According to the research plan, the Truong Chinh section from Cong Hoa to Au Co road will be expanded to 60 m; Tan Ky Tan Quy road (Binh Long - Le Trong Tan - Cong Hoa section) will be expanded to 30 m. If approved in the first quarter of 2026, the projects will start construction in the third quarter of 2027 and be constructed within 12 months.
The city is also studying investment in an elevated route along the Truong Chinh - Cong Hoa axis, from An Suong intersection to the airport, to solve the basic traffic congestion in this area. At the same time, Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh - Tham Luong) will start construction on January 15, 2026 and be completed in 2030, adding large-volume transport capacity to the Northwest region.
At the gateway to the Northeast, the project to expand National Highway 13 from Binh Trieu Bridge to Vinh Binh Bridge, nearly 6km long, will start construction in June 2026. Ho Chi Minh City is also studying the construction of Binh Trieu 3 bridge with a scale of 4 - 6 lanes, expanding Dinh Bo Linh and Xo Viet Nghe Tinh streets, along with an elevated route running along these two axes.
At the southern gateway, the Nguyen Khoi bridge project will start construction on December 19, 2025. When completed, the project will create a new connection axis from District 7 (formerly) to District 1 (formerly) across the overpass, connecting with Vo Van Kiet Avenue and significantly reducing the load on routes that are often congested such as Nguyen Huu Tho - Kenh Te Bridge, Duong Ba Trac and Nguyen Tat Thanh.
According to Mr. Tran Quang Lam, after the merger, the "super city" of Ho Chi Minh City is facing many challenges in terms of transportation, housing, environment, climate change, flooding and subsidence.
Ho Chi Minh City is building a framework infrastructure system and regional infrastructure connecting with major projects such as Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 2, 3, 4, Ho Chi Minh City - Moc Bai Expressway, Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh. The city is assigned to take charge of the two Ring Roads 3 and 4.
Ho Chi Minh City is also carefully preparing to develop the metro network, towards a large capacity, synchronous and sustainable transportation system. Resolution 188 allows Ho Chi Minh City to apply a mechanism of sharp reduction, creating conditions to speed up progress. From now until 2030, Ho Chi Minh City will complete 6 179km long metro lines and expand to 300km by 2035.
