Nearly 50 km of Ho Chi Minh Road through forest before opening day

The 47 km section of Ho Chi Minh Road through TP HCM and Dong Nai, traversing rubber forests and residential areas, is nearing completion after 16 years of construction.

The road runs through a rubber forest preparing to shed its leaves in Dau Tieng commune (formerly Binh Duong), now part of TP HCM, in early october.

After nearly two years of recommencement, the 83 km Chon Thanh - Duc Hoa section of Ho Chi Minh Road, spanning three provinces, is nearing completion. The 47 km segment through TP HCM and Dong Nai is almost finished, while the 36 km portion in Tay Ninh has reached 80% of its volume. The project, which began in 2009, was halted for two years due to a lack of funds before resuming in 2023. It starts in Chon Thanh (Dong Nai) and ends in Hoa Khanh (Tay Ninh).

At the intersection of Ho Chi Minh Road and DT744, several rollers are reinforcing the road surface and paving before traffic signal poles are installed. This location is about 9 km from Cu Chi tunnels.

The road features four paved lanes and is marked according to expressway standards, with a design speed of 100 km/h. Construction crews will install additional street lighting poles by late october. In the future, the route will be expanded to a full six lanes and 32 m wide, enhancing connectivity between the southern and central highlands regions.

On the approach road to the bridge, construction crews are building concrete embankments, reinforcing both sides to prevent landslides.

On a recently paved section nearby, workers are busy clearing earth and sand to clean the road surface for marking and digging holes for guideposts. During peak construction, over 100 workers were employed on the XL01 package through TP HCM.

On the other side of Thanh An bridge, in Trang Bang commune, Tay Ninh, several vehicles are compacting the road to reinforce and increase its load-bearing capacity after laying stones on the red soil foundation. Next, the contractor will pave the road with asphalt and compact it again to complete the road surface.

Approximately mot km away lies Thanh An bridge, over 600 m long, spanning the Sai Gon river to connect TP HCM and Tay Ninh. This is the largest bridge in the package, with an investment of about 180 billion VND. It features 12 piers and a maximum clearance of 7 m, allowing large vessels to pass easily. The entire project includes 14 bridges; three are new constructions, while the others are undergoing completion. In the TP HCM section, besides Thanh An, five other bridges are under construction, including: Phuoc Hoa canal, Ba Tu, Thi Tinh, Cay Truong, and Suoi Tre.

The original route of Ho Chi Minh Road's Chon Thanh - Duc Hoa section passed through Long An, Tay Ninh, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Binh Phuoc provinces, now connecting Tay Ninh - TP HCM and Dong Nai. Graphics: Khanh Hoang

On the completed sections, workers are installing signs and painting road markings. A representative from the XL01 package (Deoca Group consortium) stated that the Ho Chi Minh Road section through TP HCM - Dong Nai is essentially finished and is expected to be handed over to the city by late october before opening for traffic.

The road passes through many densely populated residential areas. The project is expected to stimulate socio-economic development, attract investment, and expand urban, industrial, commercial, and tourism spaces in the region.