An Phu Dong Ward People's Committee has just worked with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board and Binh Loi Trung Ward to coordinate in implementing the Vam Thuat bridge construction project and upgrading and expanding Vuon Lai road.
According to the research plan, Vam Thuat bridge will directly connect from Dang Thuy Tram street in Binh Loi Trung ward (formerly Binh Thanh district), crossing the Vam Thuat river to Vuon Lai street in An Phu Dong ward (formerly District 12). The project is expected to be submitted to competent authorities for investment policy approval in 2026.
Currently, traffic connecting from the An Phu Dong area to the center of Ho Chi Minh City is still limited. People mainly travel through the An Phu Dong temporary iron bridge - a narrow bridge that is often overloaded, especially during peak hours.
This iron bridge only allows motorbikes and small vehicles to travel, while trucks and buses cannot pass. After many years of operation, the project has shown many signs of degradation, the bridge deck is damaged due to large traffic volume and often bearing loads exceeding the allowed level.
Notably, An Phu Dong iron bridge has been hit many times by barges and tugboats, affecting the structure of the project, raising concerns about safety for people when traveling through this area.
In addition to the above-mentioned temporary bridge, An Phu Dong people have almost no other convenient connection options to move to the city center. Therefore, the Vam Thuat bridge project is expected to create a breakthrough in transport infrastructure, increasing the connectivity between An Phu Dong ward and Binh Loi Trung ward and the city center.
Previously, there was an investor who proposed to implement the Vam Thuat bridge project in the form of public-private partnership (PPP), but then withdrew.
By 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Infrastructure Construction Investment Project Management Board (investor of the Tham Luong - Ben Cat - Nuoc Len canal renovation project) will continue to propose investing in this bridge to directly connect Dang Thuy Tram street with Vuon Lai street on An Phu Dong side.
According to the proposal, Vam Thuat bridge will be built of reinforced concrete, the bridge deck is 16 - 20 m wide, meeting 4 lanes of traffic.
The total estimated investment is about 1,136 billion VND. Of which, construction costs are about 329 billion VND, and nearly 807 billion VND is for compensation and site clearance.
