5 projects open the gateway to the West
Recently, many traffic projects connecting the Western provinces with the Southeast, especially with Ho Chi Minh City, have been accelerated.
The southern coastal road connecting Ho Chi Minh City with the Mekong Delta provinces is 428km long and has 4 lanes. Of which, the section through Ho Chi Minh City is nearly 21km long. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is reviewing and adding to the planning of branch 2 of the coastal road connecting through Can Gio international transit port (HCMC), Phuoc An port (Dong Nai) and extending to Ben Luc - Long Thanh highway.
When this coastal road is completed, it will help shorten travel time between Ho Chi Minh City and the Western provinces, increasing the capacity to transport goods to ports in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai for export.
National Highway 50B, 55km long, connecting Ho Chi Minh City - Long An - Tien Giang, is being proposed to be deployed soon according to planning to reduce the load on existing National Highway 50 and increase regional connectivity. In Ho Chi Minh City, National Highway 50B passes through Nha Be and Binh Chanh districts, about 5.8km long, 40m wide, 6 lanes. Preliminary total investment is nearly 5,300 billion VND, expected to invest in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode for the period 2024 - 2030.
Another project that is expected to be implemented soon is the Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho high-speed railway. This railway was planned 10 years ago, more than 175km long, passing through 6 localities, including: Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City, Long An, Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Can Tho.
With a maximum speed of 200km/h, freight train 120km/h, the train is expected to run from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho in 45 minutes. The total project investment is more than 9.3 billion USD (about 220,000 billion VND), proposed to be invested under PPP. The project has completed its final report, the Ministry of Transport is collecting opinions from localities and completing the pre-feasibility study report. The project is expected to be approved for investment policy and start construction before 2030, completed before 2035.
In the infrastructure investment plan from now to 2030, Ho Chi Minh City prioritizes the project of extending Vo Van Kiet street (from National Highway 1 to the border with Long An province) about 12.5km long and 60m wide. Total project investment is more than 5,700 billion VND in the form of PPP.
Another project that is also given priority is the construction of a new Northwestern open road about 10km long and 40m wide (the starting point is from Ring Road 2 of Ho Chi Minh City through Binh Chanh district and the ending point is the Long An province border). Total project investment capital is about 5,200 billion VND in the form of PPP.
Priority should be given to the Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho railway
Talking to Labor, Mr. Ha Ngoc Truong - Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Port and Bridge Association - said that the Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho railway line needs to be prioritized for investment.
According to Mr. Ha Ngoc Truong, in the Mekong Delta provinces, although water transport has a wide network throughout the region, the travel speed is not high. Even if highways and roads are opened with up to 6-8 lanes, they can only "stay" for a short time and quickly become overloaded due to the increasing demand for transporting goods and people.
“The Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho railway line helps reduce road load, especially in transporting general goods for consumption and export. Building this railway line also helps Ho Chi Minh City reduce overpopulation. People from the Southwestern provinces, especially provinces near Ho Chi Minh City such as Long An, Tien Giang... can go to Ho Chi Minh City to work in the morning and return home in the afternoon by high-speed train" - Mr. Truong said.
According to Dr. Vo Kim Cuong - former Deputy Chief Architect of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City is currently proposing to build Can Gio international transit port. To be effective, seaports must be associated with a system of connection, logistics, and logistics infrastructure. These systems will have to spread out over land to form an urbanized area. Therefore, Mr. Cuong said that the coastal road needs to be invested soon to increase the connection of Can Gio international transshipment port with seaports in Dong Nai and Western provinces.
