On March 5, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction submitted a draft report to the municipal People’s Committee reviewing and proposing options to upgrade and complete the Ring Road 3 project at the request of the Ministry of Construction.
According to the plan, Ho Chi Minh City’s Ring Road 3 is about 130 kilometers long and is oriented to be built with eight expressway lanes.
The route includes 8.75 kilometers of Component Project 1A managed by the My Thuan Project Management Board, 38.5 kilometers of the Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressway implemented by Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC), and 76.34 kilometers under the Ring Road 3 project developed in line with National Assembly Resolution 57/2022/QH15.
Currently, the sections are being developed with inconsistent scales. Most component projects are being built in phases with four expressway lanes, a design speed of 80 kilometers per hour, a roadbed width of 19.75 meters, and non-continuous emergency stopping lanes.
Component Project 1A has been completed and opened to traffic in 2025 with four lanes and is being adjusted to meet a four-lane expressway standard with a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour. Meanwhile, the 15.3-kilometer-long My Phuoc – Tan Van section is operating as a six-lane urban road, and the Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressway is expected to be completed in 2026 with four expressway lanes.
The department noted that inconsistent investment and sections not meeting expressway standards may affect traffic capacity.
Two investment options were proposed. The first is to add emergency stopping lanes during the phased stage to meet expressway standards, but this option faces difficulties due to existing roadbed structures and potential high costs.
The second option is to complete the entire route according to the master plan with eight expressway lanes, while upgrading sections such as My Phuoc – Tan Van and Component Project 1A to ensure synchronization. The preliminary investment for this option is estimated at more than VND60 trillion (US$2.3 billion).
Based on this assessment, Ho Chi Minh City has proposed that the Ministry of Construction report to the Prime Minister for approval of the plan to complete Ring Road 3 with eight expressway lanes, and direct the My Thuan Project Management Board to adjust Component Project 1A.
