Roads connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Long Thanh airport

Three expressways and several other transportation projects are underway to connect Ho Chi Minh City with Long Thanh airport, which is expected to open in 2026.

The An Phu intersection, located at the beginning of the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway from the city, is often congested, especially on weekends and holidays. Currently, the largest intersection project, with a budget of 3,400 billion VND, is underway here, including tunnels, bridges, a central roundabout, and a symbolic tower. The project is expected to be completed by the end of this year, helping to reduce congestion on the expressway.

The most important of these connections is the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway, which opened in 2015. This route shortens travel times to Vung Tau (via Long Thanh airport along National Highway 51) and northern provinces (connecting to National Highway 1 and the Dau Giay - Phan Thiet expressway).

After 10 years of operation, the expressway struggles to handle increasing traffic volume, leading to frequent congestion during holidays, weekends, and the Lunar New Year period. On 19/8, construction will begin to widen the 21-km section from Ho Chi Minh City's Ring Road 2 to the intersection with the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway from 6 to 10 lanes to accommodate the anticipated traffic to and from Long Thanh airport.

About 23 km from the An Phu intersection is the Long Thanh bridge on the Ho Chi Minh City - Dau Giay expressway, another bottleneck that frequently experiences congestion. Recent renovations and lane narrowing caused extended traffic jams for several days.

The intersection of the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway with National Highway 51. One direction leads to Long Thanh airport, and the other to Vung Tau.

Routes connecting the Ho Chi Minh City area with Long Thanh airport. Graphics: Khanh Hoang

National Highway 51 is a vital artery for the Southeast region, and its importance will further increase with the opening of Long Thanh airport. However, the route between the airport and Ho Chi Minh City is currently overloaded, especially the 6-km stretch from Gate 11 to Vung Tau intersection (former Bien Hoa city).

The People's Committee of Dong Nai province (UBND) is finalizing procedures to construct an elevated road through this area, connecting to the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway, with a budget exceeding 16,000 billion VND.

Another route connecting Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh airport is from Hanoi Highway via National Highway 1, Dong Nai bridge (pictured), to National Highway 51.

This route also experiences frequent congestion. The Dong Nai People's Committee plans to reconstruct the Vung Tau intersection with a budget of over 4,749 billion VND to improve traffic flow.

The Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway provides another connection to the airport. Pictured is the section within Ba Ria - Vung Tau province (formerly, now Ho Chi Minh City), which is nearing completion and expected to open by the end of this year.

This expressway is almost 54 km long, with 4 to 6 lanes, and a total investment of 17,800 billion VND. Ba Ria - Vung Tau province manages section three; the Ministry of Transport manages the 18.2-km section two; and Dong Nai province manages the remaining 16 km.

The section through Ba Ria - Vung Tau is complete, while the section through Dong Nai is under construction and expected to open for technical operation on 19/12.

In addition to these routes, travelers can reach the airport from Ho Chi Minh City via Provincial Road 25B, crossing the Nhon Trach bridge along Ring Road 3. The opening of this bridge on 19/8 will alleviate some of the traffic burden on the Dong Nai bridge on National Highway 1 and the Long Thanh bridge on the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway.

However, Ring Road 3 is not yet fully operational, pending the completion of sections in Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City, expected next year.

Located about 10 km from Long Thanh airport, the Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway will connect Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta provinces via the Phuoc Khanh bridge.

This expressway to the Mekong Delta region is nearly 58 km long, with 4 lanes and 2 emergency lanes, passing through Long An (formerly), Ho Chi Minh City, and Dong Nai. Currently, only a 30-km section is operational. The expressway cannot yet connect Dong Nai with Ho Chi Minh City as the Phuoc Khanh bridge is not expected to be completed until 2026.

Besides road projects, the government has also planned the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway and a high-speed railway passing through the airport to connect with downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

The passenger terminal at Long Thanh airport is nearing completion.

Long Thanh airport, built on 5,000 hectares with a total investment of over 336,000 billion VND, is the largest airport in the country. The project is divided into three phases. Phase one is expected to be substantially completed by the end of this year, with operations starting in 2026, serving 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo annually. The airport will not only serve travel needs but also act as a growth engine for the Southern Key Economic Zone, with Ho Chi Minh City at its center.