Starting on the morning of 1/10, over 10 km of Hanoi Highway, from Suoi Tien Tourist Area to Vung Tau intersection, experienced severe congestion. The most affected area was near the Tan Van interchange construction site, part of the Ho Chi Minh City Beltway 3 project.

Vehicles formed long queues on Hanoi Highway and DT 743 road, heading towards Dong Nai Bridge. This area includes several barricaded sections for construction, which has caused prolonged congestion for over one year.

By noon, thousands of container trucks, other trucks, and oto (cars) formed multiple lanes on Hanoi Highway near the construction site and on Dong Nai Bridge, moving at a snail's pace.

Long lines of vehicles were also backed up at the new Mien Dong Bus Station underpass and on Hanoi Highway.

In this area, the road, originally 8-12 lanes wide, has been narrowed to 4 lanes due to ongoing expansion work and construction barricades. This reduction in capacity causes a significant buildup of vehicles.

At the Tan Van interchange, vehicles were almost at a standstill. Many drivers, frustrated, got out to take photos, buy food, and monitor traffic conditions.

Anh Vu, a container truck driver, sat in his cabin, scrolling on his phone and calling friends. "Every time I pass through Tan Van, I dread it because of the severe traffic. Today is even worse; it's been an hour, and I haven't moved 5 km," he stated.

At the foot of the Tan Van overpass, heading towards Ho Chi Minh City, temporary barricades were set up to divert traffic. Accordingly, oto heading towards Dong Nai Bridge were temporarily directed onto the overpass to ease congestion and traffic conflicts at this interchange.

Oto encroached upon the motorbike lanes on Hanoi Highway, exacerbating the congestion.

With no clear path forward, many people were exhausted under the hot sun and dust. After a long wait, numerous motorbikes had to turn back and use service roads within the construction site or weave through lines of container trucks to find an alternative route.

"The construction not only causes daily congestion but also frequently damages the road surface, making it muddy and dusty," said Anh Hoang, a local resident.

From the Tan Van area, the congestion extended to connecting routes such as National Highway 51 and Le Van Duyet in Dong Nai, affecting residents' commutes. By around 15h, the traffic jam had not yet cleared.

Le Ngoc Hung, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Management Board of Investment and Construction of Traffic Projects, and the Ho Chi Minh City Beltway 3 project investor, stated that continuous heavy rains in recent days, combined with a very high volume of vehicles, especially trucks and containers, have damaged several road sections at the Tan Van interchange.

These damaged areas have been expanding, prompting the construction unit to carry out repairs to ensure safety. The repairs were mostly completed by late morning today, but the extremely high traffic volume continued to cause congestion.

Location of the Tan Van interchange. *Graphic: Dang Hieu*

National Highway 1, passing through the Tan Van interchange, serves as the eastern gateway to Ho Chi Minh City, connecting Binh Duong with Dong Nai. This area, which already experiences high traffic volume, now faces additional pressure due to the Ho Chi Minh City Beltway 3 interchange construction and frequent repairs on Dong Nai Bridge.

The Dong Nai City Traffic Police Department advised residents to reduce speed, maintain distance, observe carefully, and follow instructions when passing through the area. People traveling via Dong Nai Bridge - Vung Tau intersection - Gate 1 routes should monitor traffic conditions and proactively choose appropriate alternative routes.

Quynh Tran - Phuoc Tuan