Bridges and tunnels connecting a city
Standing on Ba Son Bridge today, looking out over the city center, the transformation is nothing short of breathtaking. “It used to be that every time I drove from my home in the old District 2, I had to loop all the way around to Saigon Bridge. It took forever”, shared Pham Ngoc Tai, an office worker. “Since Saigon River Tunnel opened, my commute is just five minutes. It has literally opened up a whole new direction for the city.”
The tunnel did more than just ease the traffic; it became a symbol of modern transport, seamlessly linking the Thu Thiem New Urban Area with the historic core and accelerating the city’s evolution into a multi-centered metropolis. Vo Van Kiet – Mai Chi Tho Avenue, the artery feeding the tunnel, has completely changed the city’s face, allowing vehicles to sweep from the western gateway, through the city’s heart, and into the sprawling eastern districts in a matter of minutes.
“Before, driving my truck on National Highway 1 through the packed inner city could take the better part of a morning”, said driver Le Minh Tam. “Now, the avenue is a world of difference. It saves a tonne of fuel and a lot of stress.”
This is the living proof of how a single transport artery can invigorate an entire urban landscape. For the engineers who built it, the date March 7, 2010, is etched in memory. Thousands of onlookers packed Bach Dang Wharf to witness a modern feat of engineering.
As helicopters documented the moment from above, four powerful tugboats below maneuvered colossal concrete blocks, each tunnel segment weighing 27,000 tonnes and as long as a 25-story building, and methodically sank them to the riverbed. This VND13.4 trillion (US$536 million) project didn’t just solve a traffic problem; it redefined the future of eastern HCMC.
This project was a catalyst. It was followed by Pham Van Dong Avenue, the widening of Hanoi Highway, and a succession of new bridges, namely Saigon 2, Thu Thiem, and Ba Son. Before them, Phu My Bridge – then the city’s largest cable-stayed bridge – had already spanned the river. These projects, funded by a mix of Japanese ODA, private capital through BOT models, and the state budget, sent a clear message: the city was mobilizing every available resource.
Today, these works are more than just asphalt and concrete; they are symbols of a megacity’s ambition. HCMC now boasts over 5,000 kilometers of roads, the convergence point for a ceaseless flow of traffic from across the region. Transport is the circulatory system nourishing a colossal economic body.
And the beat goes on. Before the sun rises, the construction site of the Ring Road 3 project in Hoc Mon is already ablaze with lights. The roar of excavators and cranes has become the familiar soundtrack of progress. “This project is the dream of generations”, expressed Nguyen Thanh Quoc, a young engineer on site. “When it’s finished, container trucks will bypass the city center, easing congestion for everyone. The entire southeastern region will be seamlessly connected.”
The drops of sweat, the bustling rhythm of machinery are the heartbeat of a massive construction site, not only at the Ring Road 3 project but also at dozens of other infrastructure projects spread across HCMC – a place that is opening the door to becoming a “megacity”.
Metro – key to future transport
One morning in late 2024, in the center of Saigon Ward, the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro train glided across the viaduct. People stopped their vehicles, looked up, many raised their phones to record. That image marked the milestone of HCMC’s first metro “dream”, which lasted nearly 2 decades, finally coming true.
The Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien Metro has opened the door to the future of a 500km metro network, making public transport a pillar, reducing traffic jams, and reducing pollution by 2035. The train not only carries passengers but also carries the hope that HCMC will be more modern and civilized, and that subsequent metro projects will no longer be delayed.
The city aims to have at least 7 more metro line sections with 355km by 2035, and reach 500km by 2045. At that time, public transport can meet 50-60 percent of people’s travel needs, bringing the city closer to the standards of an international “megacity.”
For HCMC’s transport infrastructure to make a breakthrough in the coming time, according to Dr. Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son, from the success of the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien Metro, the city should change its mindset, not just “build roads” but “do transport economics.”
Transport is placed in the overall context of urban and economic development, associated with the TOD model (Transit-Oriented Development), with the metro as the center. HCMC not only needs capital but also needs to master technology, build an ecosystem for metro operation – from supporting industries, human resource training to operational organization.
Meanwhile, Assoc Prof Dr Vu Anh Tuan from Vietnamese-German University stresses the urgency of completing key arterial projects like Ring Roads 2 and 3, arguing that if the “blood vessels” are clear, the urban “body” will be healthy.
These projects will do more than relieve bottlenecks; they will open up new spaces for development, creating new poles of growth far from the traditional center. This is how HCMC plans to forge its identity as a true megacity.
City leadership is aligned on this vision. “Transport is the pivotal factor,” affirmed Vice Chairman Bui Xuan Cuong of the HCMC People’s Committee. He stated that the city’s entire political system must treat infrastructure as a core mission, dedicating special resources and pushing for faster, more decisive action on key projects associated with green-digital, safe, and cost-saving criteria.
“We are focused on clearing bottlenecks to unlock resources and create room for future growth,” he emphasized.
In the 2006-2015 period, HCMC spent about VND67 trillion ($2.54 billion) on transport. In the 2016-2025 period, this capital increased to VND176 trillion ($6.66 billion), but it only met less than half of the actual demand.
The total capital demand for the 2021-2030 period is estimated at nearly VND971 trillion ($36.7 billion), of which the city budget accounts for more than VND399 trillion ($15.1 billion). In 2025, capital for transport accounts for more than half of the total public investment capital.
According to the HCMC Department of Construction, in 2025, HCMC has been preparing to invest in about 160 projects, including many large-scale works such as Thu Thiem 4 Bridge, Can Gio Bridge, Ring Road 2, Ring Road 4, and regional connecting expressways. In particular, HCMC will promote the implementation of the urban railway system with 10 metro lines over 510km long, along with the Can Gio international transshipment port project.
