Cat Lai Bridge - project awaited by local people

Dong Nai aims to begin construction of the Cat Lai Bridge in 2026, replacing the existing ferry service, as part of efforts to complete one of the most highly anticipated transport links between Dong Nai province and Ho Chi Minh City.

For many years, Cat Lai ferry has faced persistent overcrowding, especially during holidays and Tet. Photo: Pham Tung

More than 2 decades of waiting

Cat Lai Bridge is one of the most highly anticipated road infrastructure projects connecting Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City, long-awaited by residents of both localities. The bridge is expected to serve as a major catalyst for the development of the new Nhon Trach urban area. Additionally, under current planning, Cat Lai Bridge is a key component in the transport corridor linking Long Thanh International Airport to Ho Chi Minh City via provincial road 25C.

Since 2003, the Cat Lai Bridge project has had an approved investment policy. However, it has yet to move forward due to a lack of consensus between the two localities.

Nearly 14 years later, in May 2017, the Prime Minister issued a document approving the addition of the Ho Chi Minh City Transport Development Plan to 2020, with a vision beyond 2020, at the request of the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction). In August 2019, the Prime Minister approved a proposal to assign the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee as the competent state authority responsible for implementing the Cat Lai Bridge project, which is intended to replace the ferry, under a public-private partnership (PPP) model in the form of a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract. However, to date, the Cat Lai Bridge project has yet to be realized.

With the goal of strengthening inter-provincial and inter-regional transport connections, in recent times, Dong Nai province and Ho Chi Minh City have had many working sessions to implement the Cat Lai Bridge Project.

With Long Thanh Airport set to begin commercial operations in the first half of 2026, it is essential to accelerate the implementation of the Cat Lai Bridge project to establish an additional transport link between the airport and Ho Chi Minh City, helping to ease the burden on the already overloaded Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway.

According to provincial Party Committee member and Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai People's Committee Ho Van Ha, both localities have now basically reached a consensus on the necessity of implementing the project. "Dong Nai province aims to begin construction of the Cat Lai Bridge project in 2026 and complete it for operation by the end of 2028," said Vice Chairman Ho Van Ha.

According to the provincial People's Committee, the preferred investment approach for the Cat Lai Bridge project is to implement it under a public-private partnership (PPP), with the bridge section to be developed through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract.

Choosing the optimal investment option

On September 9, 2025, the provincial People's Committee held a working session with Construction Corporation No. 1 (CC1) to hear the company's proposal for the Cat Lai Bridge construction project.

According to a representative of CC1, the company has proposed a project with a total route length of over 11.6 kilometers, including a 4.7-kilometer-long Cat Lai Bridge, and a preliminary total investment of more than 18.8 trillion VND (excluding loan interest during the construction period). Regarding the investment format, CC1 proposed a public-private partnership (PPP), with three options: Option 1 is a combination of build-operate-transfer (BOT) and build-transfer (BT) contracts, funded by the state budget; Option 2 is a BT contract financed by the state budget; and Option 3 is a BT contract funded through land allocation.

In July 2025, authorities of Dong Nai province and Ho Chi Minh City met to discuss investment plans, including project options, implementation formats, and funding sources. As a result, the two localities agreed to propose that the Dong Nai Provincial Investment and Construction Project Management Board, which was assigned to prepare the project dossier, along with the consulting unit, study investment options with a view to implementing the project as a single public-private partnership (PPP) under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract.

To ensure synchronized progress between the construction of the bridge and its approach roads, the state budget will cover site clearance and investment costs up to the maximum rate allowed by law. If the financial plan proves unfeasible and the project must be split into a PPP component (BOT contract) for the Cat Lai Bridge section, and two public investment component projects (or BT contracts, depending on the actual conditions of each locality) for the approach roads, the two localities also agreed that a detailed implementation plan must be developed. This undertaking would ensure coordinated progress and avoid a situation in which the bridge is completed. At the same time, the approach roads remain unfinished, which would negatively impact operations, traffic flow, and toll collection for cost recovery.

According to Duong Van Hieu, Deputy Director of the Department of Construction, the Departments of Construction of Dong Nai province and Ho Chi Minh City have recently coordinated to review and agree on the proposed alignment of the Cat Lai Bridge project for integration into the planning schemes of both localities. To date, Ho Chi Minh City has approved the 1/2,000 scale zoning plan for subdivision 6 of Thu Duc City. Meanwhile, Dong Nai province has incorporated the project into the revised general planning scheme for the Nhon Trach new urban area, which is currently under appraisal by the Ministry of Construction.

According to Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Ha, the Provincial People's Committee has assigned the Department of Construction to coordinate with relevant agencies to complete the project dossier for the Party Committee of the Provincial People's Committee to report to the Provincial Party Standing Committee. After approval, the dossier will be submitted to the Provincial People's Council for approval of the project's investment policy.

By Pham Tung-Translated by Mai Nga, Minho