Coordinated push keeps Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh expressway expansion on track

The undertaking is vigorously maintaining its planned schedule despite construction taking place under the highest traffic volume in the country, while also facing significant pressure from fluctuations in fuel and material prices over the past six months.

Panoramic view of Long Thanh Bridge linking Ho Chi Minh City with Dong Nai

With only a few weeks remaining before the southeast region enters the rainy season, construction pace at package XL01 – spanning nearly 10km within the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh expressway expansion, with Long Thanh 2 Bridge as the heart – is being accelerated in a bid to complete key components on time.

Nguyen Phuong Vinh, deputy director of the Southern Project Management Board under developer Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC), noted that although the overall timeline is 18 months, the roadbed and foundation works for the roadway section, as well as foundations and piers for the bridge section, must be completed before mid-May when rainy season begins.

“For this reason, in addition to selecting the most capable bridge contractors in Vietnam, VEC has required contractors to work with utmost urgency, deploying synchronised equipment systems and a dedicated concrete production line installed directly on barges on the river,” Vinh said.

The critical work lies in the construction of Long Thanh 2 Bridge, one of the largest river-crossing bridges currently underway in southern Vietnam. It has a total length of approximately 2.34km, with its main span crossing the Dong Nai River. The longest span reaches 150 metres, sufficient to accommodate the passage of the world’s largest luxury cruise ships accessing ports in Ho Chi Minh City.

A key challenge for Vietnamese contractors on Long Thanh 2 Bridge is the construction of mid-river piers with heights ranging approximately 38-42 metres from pile cap to pier top.

Including the foundation, each pier forms a massive concrete structure equivalent to a 10-12 storey building, embedded 70-80 metres below the riverbed, requiring complex construction techniques and stringent quality control.

Given the capabilities of Vietnamese bridge engineers and workers, the construction of Long Thanh 2 Bridge is not overly difficult from a technical standpoint.

However, the main challenge lies in the timeline, given that comparable river-crossing bridges in the region required significantly longer durations: for example, Long Thanh Bridge 1 was built over 48 months, while Nhon Trach Bridge, inaugurated last September, took 32 months to complete.

With a required completion timeline to align with the operational schedule of Long Thanh International Airport, construction of Long Thanh 2 Bridge has virtually no buffer time, and any error or disruption to construction rhythm could jeopardise the entire schedule.

Thanks to strict construction discipline and well-organised site management, by the end of March, progress on Long Thanh 2 Bridge and other key components has largely remained on track.

“According to the plan, pier shaft construction will be completed by June, laying the foundation for closure of Long Thanh 2 Bridge before December 31, and completion of the remaining works before the Lunar New Year 2027, meeting the schedule required by the government,” a VEC representative stated.

According to Deputy Minister of Construction Pham Minh Ha, the government’s decision to allow the expansion to proceed under an emergency order demonstrates urgency.

The goal of completing nearly 22km of expressway expansion – from four lanes to 8-10 lanes – within 18 months is already a significant challenge, even under perfect conditions. It becomes even more demanding given that construction must proceed alongside ongoing traffic operations, while also addressing tasks related to site clearance.

“The investor and supervision consultants must enhance oversight of traffic safety, labour safety, and environmental sanitation, especially under conditions where construction and operation are carried out simultaneously,” Ha said.

According to Pham Hong Quang, CEO of VEC, after six months of implementation, the project has achieved approximately 33.84 per cent of total workload, with cumulative disbursement reaching around $105 million out of the total $310 million.

“Under any circumstances, we will make every effort to substantially complete the entire Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh expressway expansion by December, ensuring convenient and safe access for the public to Long Thanh International Airport,” Quang explained.

In addition to the bridge, the roadway section under package XL02 has largely completed ground reinforcement works, with full-scale roadbed construction launched simultaneously since early March.

Alongside certain site clearance delays, the most significant challenge at present remains the supply of construction materials, particularly building stone.

Notably, fuel prices have experienced sharp fluctuations in recent months, while construction price indices for the first quarter of 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City and Long Thanh have yet to be announced by local construction authorities, further increasing pressure on both progress and costs for contractors.

To maintain construction momentum, in addition to directing the Southern Project Management Board to work closely with local authorities to unlock material supply sources, VEC has proposed that competent authorities promptly update fluctuations in the prices of raw materials, fuel, materials, and labour in the area.

It has also instructed the same board to expedite inspection, acceptance, and payment procedures to ensure continuous cash flow at construction sites, enabling contractors to stockpile fuel and procure essential materials in advance to mitigate price escalation risks, particularly amid ongoing complexities in the Middle East conflict.

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