Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway to be put into full operation soon

Work is being accelerated on the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway to complete the final items and put the entire expressway into full operation in September 2026.

As the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway serves as a direct link between Dong Nai city with Ho Chi Minh City, putting the entire expressway into full operation instead of being under temporary operation as it is currently will contribute to improving traffic flows and boosting socio-economic development of the two localities as well as the entire Southeast region.

The entire main route of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway has been in temporary operation since May 18, 2026.

Shortening travel time

In late June 2026, Nguyen Hoang Cuong (in Trang Bom ward), a ride-hailing car driver, experienced driving through the entire Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway for the first time. From the starting point of the project at the intersection on Vo Nguyen Giap street, Phuoc Tan ward (Dong Nai city) to Vung Tau beach (Ho Chi Minh City), Cuong's journey on this expressway took nearly 1.5 hours. “Compared with travelling on National Highway 51 in the past, the travel time on this route is cut in half by using the expressway," Cuong said.

Also according to Cuong, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway is currently open only to cars with fewer than 9 seats, so traffic remains free-flowing. This is completely different from the chronic congestion and traffic jams on National Highway 51 along the same route.

Construction on the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway started in mid-2023. After nearly 3 years under construction, the entire main route of this expressway was put into temporary operation on May 18, 2026. The temporary opening contributes to easing traffic on National Highway 51, which has long been overloaded. Nevertheless, because it is still in the temporary operation phase, this expressway has not yet maximized its effectiveness.

Nguyen Thi Van (a resident in Tran Bien ward) believed that: Currently, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway only allows cars under 9 seats to circulate, so it does not truly meet the needs of the people. On the other hand, because it is in the temporary operation phase, not all interchanges on the route are open, causing inconvenience for road users, especially when entering and exiting the expressway. In Dong Nai city, vehicles currently can only enter and exit the expressway at the Vo Nguyen Giap street and Long Thanh interchanges.

Accelerating efforts to complete final items

Component Project 1 of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway is 16km long, with the starting point at Km0+000 connecting with Vo Nguyen Giap street and the end point at Km16+000, Long Thanh ward. This is a component project invested by the Dong Nai City Construction Investment Project Management Board.

Since the main route was put into temporary operation on May 18, 2026, contractors have worked to complete the remaining items including: access roads to the overpasses at Ham Nghi and Phung Hung roads, drainage ditches along the frontage roads, side drainage ditches between the main route and the frontage roads, concrete water-blocking curbs, water collection ditches on slope roofs, grass planting on slope roofs, and sidewalk brick paving.

According to the City Construction Investment Project Management Board, currently, for the access roads of the overpasses at Ham Nghi and Phung Hung roads, the road part has been basically completed. The contractor is proceeding to construct the railing curb of the overpass part. Meanwhile, the construction progress of side drainage ditches for residential frontage roads, side drainage ditches between the main route and frontage roads, concrete water-blocking curbs, water collection ditches on slope roofs, grass planting on slope roofs, and sidewalk brick paving has also reached a volume of over 60% of the contract value. The total construction output of the entire Component Project 1 currently reaches nearly 95% of the signed contract values.

The Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway has a total route length of nearly 54km. The project is divided into 3 component projects, including Component Project 1 with a total length of 16km; Component Project 2, which is 18.2km long and Component Project 3, which is 19.5km long. Among them, component projects 1 and 2 are implemented in Dong Nai city, and Component Project 3 is carried out in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to Nguyen Linh, Deputy Director of the City Construction Investment Project Management Board, with the current progress, the unit sets a target to complete the project and put it into full operation in September 2026.

Regarding the Component Project 2 section passing through Dong Nai city, a representative of Project Management Board 85 (Ministry of Construction), the project's investor, said: For the remaining items, the contractor is accelerating construction to complete them this September.

According to member of the City Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Ho Van Ha, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway is a vital transportation route connecting Dong Nai city with Ho Chi Minh City, sharing vehicle traffic volume for National Highway 51. Therefore, early completion of construction and putting it into full operation, instead of temporary operation as currently, will enhance the investment efficiency of the project. It will also better meet the people’s travel and trade needs.

By Pham Tung - Translated by Diec Quyen, Thu Ha