Construction of three major national transport projects kicked off on June 18.

These include Ho Chi Minh City’s Ring Road No. 3, the first phase of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway, and the first phase of the Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot Expressway.

Ho Chi Minh City’s Ring Road No. 3 is 76 km long and passes through the city and neighboring Dong Nai, Binh Duong, and Long An provinces. The project is divided into eight components, with each city or province implementing site clearance and construction.

Preliminary total investment capital is over VND75.37 trillion ($3.2 billion), sourced from both the central and local budgets.

Once completed, the link will have eight lanes, allowing vehicles to run at a speed of 100 km/h.

The Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot Expressway project, meanwhile, has a total length of about 117.5 km and investment of an estimated VND22 trillion ($935 million).

It is expected to be completed in 2026 and put into operation in 2027.

The first phase of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway project has a total length of nearly 54 km and will cost nearly VND19 trillion ($801 million). It is scheduled to be completed in 2025 and open in 2026.

Addressing a breaking ground ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reiterated Vietnam’s target of building around 5,000 km of expressways by 2030, with 3,000km to open by 2025 and 2,000 km in the remaining years.

However, he added, only 1,729 km have been put into operation to date, emphasizing the huge workload ahead.

He hailed the efforts of localities in site clearance, compensation, and resettlement, and by ministries and agencies in preparations for construction.