Authorities in HCM City have approved a new expressway connecting the city to Tây Ninh Province, with a total investment of more than VNĐ10 trillion (US$383 million).
Workers place markers in Nhuận Đức Commune, HCM City, in preparation for the expressway’s groundbreaking ceremony. — VNA/VNS Photo
The route will be developed under a public-private partnership model through a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract.
The HCM City–Mộc Bài Expressway is designed as a key transport corridor that will ease congestion on National Highway 22 and strengthen regional connectivity. It also forms part of a broader route connecting HCM City to Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital.
The main section of the expressway will stretch 51km, beginning at Ring Road 3 in Phú Hòa Đông Commune (HCM City) and ending at National Highway 22 in Bến Cầu Commune (Tây Ninh), about 5km from the Cambodian border.
Hà Quốc Linh, Director of Project Management Unit No 5 under the HCM City Department of Transport, said the city will select a BOT investor later this year. Construction is expected to begin in March 2026 and be completed by December 2027.
In the first phase, the expressway will have four lanes and a design speed of 120km/h, meeting the latest national expressway standards. In the final phase, it will be expanded to six lanes, comprising 15 bridges, three underpasses and five intersections.
Of the total project cost, BOT investors will contribute around VNĐ9.9 trillion (95.4 per cent), whereas HCM City’s fiscal budget will cover the remainder.
The HCM City People’s Committee is the project’s governing authority, while the Department of Construction will sign the BOT contract. The city's Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority will serve as the bidding agency.
Cambodia, meanwhile, has begun construction on the 135km Phnom Penh–Bavet Expressway.
Once completed, this route is expected to connect with the HCM City–Mộc Bài Expressway through the Mộc Bài–Bavet international border crossing, forming a key link between the two countries.