Infrastructure development highlights: From national highways, expressways to the "super" Long Thanh Airport Project

Recently, a series of transport infrastructure projects in the province have been started, making Dong Nai one of the largest "construction sites" in the country.

Component 1A Project including Nhon Trach Bridge on Ring Road 3 - Ho Chi Minh City officially put into operation from August 20, 2025 has created a new connection axis between Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Pham Tung

"Great construction site" of the country's transport infrastructure

After the country’s reunification (April 30, 1975), along with the whole country, Dong Nai province also faced numerous difficulties due to the consequences of war. In particular, the outdated transport infrastructure system, devastated by the war, became a “bottleneck” for development.

At this time, apart from the North-South railway, the transport infrastructure in the province mainly consisted of roads. The Saigon-Bien Hoa Highway, about 30km long, was invested in and built in 1962 and was considered the most modern road at that time.

Master Tran Quang Toai, Chairman of the Dong Nai Historical Science Association, recounted: During this period, the road and bridge systems were lacking and seriously degraded. The rural traffic system in concentrated agricultural areas and new economic zones was still limited, not serving well the travel and economic development of the people; the means of transport were mostly old...

Through the congresses, the Provincial Party Committee has always paid attention to solutions in developing transport infrastructure with the goal of serving socio-economic development. Since then, the transport infrastructure system in the province has been gradually invested and developed.

In particular, in 2015, the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway was completed and officially put into operation. For Dong Nai province, about 31km of this expressway were also the first kilometers of expressway "formed" in the province. For nearly 5 years after that, these were still the first kilometers of expressway existing in the province.

On September 30, 2020, when the Phan Thiet - Dau Giay Expressway Component Project under the Project to Build a Number of Expressway Sections on the Eastern North - South Route officially started construction, the expressway network in the province was "re-"started. This is a milestone for a vibrant period of key transport infrastructure projects in the province.

Less than a year later, one of the country's most important transport infrastructure projects, Long Thanh International Airport Phase 1, officially started construction on January 5, 2021. With a total investment of more than 109 trillion VND, Long Thanh Airport Phase 1 is aimed at becoming an international transit airport and a "node" in the transport infrastructure development strategy of the country in general and Dong Nai province in particular in the future. On September 24, 2024, during his fourth visit to inspect the actual progress at the Long Thanh Airport Project construction site, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized: We must identify this as a symbolic project of the country.

Following the above two projects, in mid-June 2023, along with other localities, component projects of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway Project and the Ring Road 3 - Ho Chi Minh City Project, the section passing through the province, were simultaneously started construction.

According to the Provincial People's Committee, there are currently 7 expressway and beltway projects being implemented in the province, including: Bien Hoa - Vung Tau, Ben Luc - Long Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh, Gia Nghia - Chon Thanh, Dau Giay - Tan Phu, expansion of Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway and beltway 3 - Ho Chi Minh City. Of which, Project Component 1, Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway; Component 3, beltway 3 - Ho Chi Minh City, which are being constructed by the province, will be completed for technical traffic before December 19, 2025.

2025 is identified by Dong Nai as the "year of transport infrastructure", the bustling pace of transport infrastructure development in the province continues when a series of important projects continue to be started. Specifically, on August 19, 2025, along with the whole country, in the province, there were up to 8 projects started, inaugurated, and broke ground to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the successful August Revolution and National Day September 2. Of which, 5 projects were started and broke ground, including: Component Project 1, Gia Nghia - Chon Thanh Expressway Project; Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh Expressway Expansion Project; Dau Giay - Tan Phu Expressway Project; Project to invest in construction and business of aircraft maintenance services No. 3, 4 at Long Thanh Airport and Ma Da Bridge Construction Project.

In addition to airport and highway projects, in mid-February 2025, the transport infrastructure network in the province also received a new "highlight" when Phuoc An Port, the province's largest seaport, officially welcomed the first international ship to dock.

According to Party Central Committee member, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc, with a series of transport infrastructure projects that have been and are being implemented in the area, Dong Nai is currently a major construction site of
the whole country

Phuoc An seaport, the largest seaport in Dong Nai province, officially welcomed the first international ship to dock in February 2025. Photo: Pham Tung

After many years of investment and construction, Dong Nai is now one of the localities with a transportation system that has almost all modes. In particular, the province has many national arterial roads passing through such as: the North - South railway, highways, beltways; national
Highway 1, Highway 20, Highway 51...

Along with that, strategic traffic hubs such as Long Thanh Airport, seaports, river ports, inland container depots (ICDs) and the international border gate system are also factors creating growth momentum for trade, import-export and attracting foreign investment in Dong Nai province.

According to Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Ha , for the Cat Lai Bridge Project, connecting Dong Nai with Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai province aims to start construction in 2026.

Comrade Vo Tan Duc, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee emphasized: In the near future, Dong Nai will have all 5 modes of transportation: road, rail, air, sea and inland waterway. All must be calculated and invested to synchronize and connect with each other.

Using transport infrastructure to drive growth

According to Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc, Dong Nai has a special location with great potential and advantages for development. The province has Long Thanh Airport, many seaports, industrial zones, highways and in the future, railways. These are factors that support and are closely linked in socio-economic development.

In the development orientation in the coming time, Dong Nai province aims to become a province with fast, sustainable, green and modern development, becoming the leading center of industry - logistics - services - high-tech agriculture in the country. To achieve this goal, the province identifies the transport infrastructure system, especially regional transport connectivity, as playing a particularly important role.

Dr. Truong Minh Huy Vu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies, Head of the Socio-Economic Advisory Group of Dong Nai Province, said: In the future, Dong Nai Province will have all 5 modes of transportation (road, waterway, air, rail and sea). However, the current connecting routes of Dong Nai Province still lack synchronization, connectivity and efficiency. Therefore, the province needs to accelerate railway and highway projects, as well as develop inland waterways from Dong Nai River to port clusters and logistics centers in the Southwest region.

Workers constructing the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway Project through the province. Photo: Pham Tung

According to Provincial Party Committee member and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Ha, in the strategy to develop the province's transport infrastructure system in the coming time, Dong Nai will prioritize projects connecting intra-provincial transport to Long Thanh Airport along with regional transport connection projects, especially from Long Thanh Airport to Ho Chi Minh City.

With the intra-provincial traffic connection, after the Ma Da Bridge Project broke ground, Dong Nai officially invited investors to participate in the project of the connecting route from Dong Xoai to Ring Road 4 - Ho Chi Minh City via Provincial Road 753, Ma Da Bridge; the route connecting Ma Da Bridge to Ring Road 4 - Ho Chi Minh City in the form of public-private partnership (PPP).

“This will be the “backbone” traffic axis of the province and Dong Nai province aims to start the project in the second quarter of 2026” - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Ha shared.

Meanwhile, to complete the road system connecting localities with Long Thanh Airport as well as connecting Long Thanh Airport with Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai is promoting the implementation of a series of projects to upgrade, expand and build new provincial roads: 769, 773, 770B and bridges over Dong Nai River such as: Cat Lai Bridge, Long Hung Bridge, Phu My 2 Bridge.

In the "picture" of Dong Nai province's transport infrastructure in the coming time, the railway and urban railway (metro) networks are considered new highlights contributing to the goal of creating a synchronous and modern transport infrastructure network.

According to the plan, in the coming time, there will be 3 national railway lines invested in construction in the province, including: North-South high-speed railway; Bien Hoa-Vung Tau railway and Thu Thiem-Long Thanh light railway.

Of which, the North-South high-speed railway route through the province is expected to be about 80km long, with 1 passenger station in Long Thanh Airport area and 1 cargo station in Trang Bom district. For the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau railway, the route through the province is expected to be about 87km long, including the Trang Bom - Hoa Hung section. Meanwhile, the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway route through the province is about 37km long.

In addition to the national railway lines, Dong Nai also plans to build metro lines to connect major cities and airports. In particular, the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line extension project to Tran Bien and Long Thanh Airport is considered the "initial step" for the development of the metro network in the province. For this project, in August 2025, the Provincial People's Committee approved the joint venture of DonaCoop Infrastructure Investment Joint Stock Company and VinaCapital Group as the investor to propose the project under the PPP form.

In the proposed plan of the investor consortium, the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien Metro Line Extension Project to Tran Bien, Long Thanh Airport will have 3 sections with a total length of about 38.5km. Of which, the section from station S0 (Dong Hoa ward, Ho Chi Minh City) to station S2.4 at the new administrative center of Dong Nai province (location of existing Bien Hoa 1 Industrial Park) is about 6.5km long. The route is expected to be elevated to reduce construction costs; the section from the new administrative center of Dong Nai province to Long Thanh Airport is about 27km long, passing through 13 stations, expected to be entirely elevated. The starting point is station S2.4, extending to the end point S16 of the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line. From station S16, people travel on the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line to Long Thanh Airport for nearly 9.5km; the section from the new administrative center of the province to Tran Bien ward is about 5km long. This section is expected to go underground from stations S2.5 and S2.6 to connect to some planned station locations.

Pham Tung

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/kinh-te/202509/diem-nhan-phat-trien-ha-tang-tu-quoc-lo-duong-cao-toc-den-sieu-du-an-san-bay-long-thanh-9a70d09/