With a length of over 53 kilometers, Phase 1 of the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau Expressway, connecting Dong Nai Province and Ho Chi Minh City, is one of the key transport infrastructure projects in southern Vietnam. The project is expected to ease congestion on National Highway 51 while enhancing connectivity to Long Thanh International Airport and the Cai Mep–Thi Vai port cluster, thereby creating new development opportunities for the entire Southeast region.
Construction began in June 2023, and under the original plan, the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau Expressway was expected to be completed by the end of 2025 and put into operation in early 2026. However, after multiple missed deadlines, the project had yet to be opened to traffic as of mid-April this year.
Earlier, the Ministry of Construction had instructed relevant agencies to urgently complete procedures to temporarily open the main route of Component Project 2, from the Long Thanh interchange connecting to Component Project 3 and ending at the National Highway 56 interchange in Ho Chi Minh City, before February 10 (ahead of the 2026 Lunar New Year). However, following inspections, the plan was postponed owing to unmet traffic safety requirements and incomplete legal procedures, and was rescheduled to March.
By the end of March, the investor of Component Project 2, Project Management Board 85 under the Ministry of Construction, submitted a request to further delay the temporary opening to late April, citing the need to adjust traffic organization plans and difficulties that have slowed several construction items. Meanwhile, for Component Project 3, the investor’s representative said that the expressway section in Ho Chi Minh City has been completed, but must wait for synchronized connectivity with the section passing through Dong Nai Province.
If progress improves, about 35 kilometers of the expressway running from the interchange with the Ho Chi Minh City–Long Thanh–Dau Giay Expressway to the project’s endpoint may be temporarily opened during the upcoming Reunification Day holiday. Meanwhile, Component Project 1, a 16-kilometer section in Dong Nai Province, remains incomplete. As of early April, only 77 percent to 83 percent of the contract value has been fulfilled, with several overpasses still behind schedule.
 "Contractors are rushing to complete works under Component Project 2 of the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau Expressway in Long Thanh Commune, Dong Nai Province.")
Following on-site inspections, authorities have assessed that construction progress by contractors remains slow, mainly due to rising fuel and material costs, particularly the shortage of asphalt concrete.
Facing increasing schedule pressure, Dong Nai authorities have called on investors and contractors to speed up construction and tighten site discipline, warning that weak contractors could be replaced. The expressway is targeted for opening by the end of April.
As contractors continue to struggle with construction hurdles, drivers are becoming increasingly anxious, counting down the days until the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau Expressway opens. Meanwhile, National Highway 51, already severely congested, is under repair in several sections, making traffic conditions even worse, especially ahead of the Reunification Day and May Day holiday period.
