HCMC-Mekong Delta expressway to be widened in $1.5B project

The Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway, which stretches 96 kilometers, will be widened from four to six or eight lanes to ease congestion on the key route, particularly during peak travel seasons such as the Lunar New Year.

The project will also include emergency stopping lanes, toll stations, rest stops, and an intelligent traffic system, the Ministry of Transport has announced.

The expansion requires 1,037 hectares of land, with 955 hectares already acquired. The remaining 82 hectares still need to be cleared before construction begins.

Unlike previous infrastructure projects, this expansion will be fully funded by private investors, with no state budget allocation. Of the total investment, VND6 trillion (15%) will come from investors' equity, while the rest will be sourced from loans and other financial channels.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has instructed the Ministry of Transport to oversee the project and work with relevant agencies to ensure construction starts as scheduled.

The HCMC - Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway is the only expressway connecting HCMC with the Mekong Delta, reducing travel time to Tien Giang Province to 1 hour 45 minutes, compared to more than three hours via National Highway 1.

Opened in 2010, the 40-km HCMC - Trung Luong Expressway was Vietnam's first expressway. It took 12 years to extend the route with the 51-km Trung Luong - My Thuan section, followed by the 23-km My Thuan - Can Tho section, which was put into operation in 2023.

The expansion is expected to ease congestion, improve connectivity, and support economic growth between southern Vietnam's business hubs and the Mekong Delta region.