Cat Lai Bridge - a project eagerly awaited by the people.

Dong Nai province aims to begin construction of the Cat Lai bridge (replacing the Cat Lai ferry) in 2026, completing one of the most anticipated transportation routes connecting Dong Nai province with Ho Chi Minh City.

For many years, overcrowding at the Cat Lai ferry has been a constant problem, especially during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year). Photo: Pham Tung

Over two decades of waiting

The Cat Lai Bridge is one of the most anticipated road bridge projects connecting Dong Nai with Ho Chi Minh City, a long-awaited development for residents of both localities. In particular, it is expected to create a major boost for the development of the new Nhon Trach urban area. Furthermore, according to the plan, the Cat Lai Bridge is also a crucial component in forming a transportation link from Long Thanh International Airport to Ho Chi Minh City via Provincial Road 25C.

Since 2003, the Cat Lai Bridge Project has had an investment plan for construction. However, due to a failure to reach a consensus between the two localities, the project could not be implemented.

Nearly 14 years later, in May 2017, the Prime Minister approved the amendment to the Ho Chi Minh City Transport Development Plan to 2020 and beyond, as proposed by the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction ). In August 2019, the Prime Minister issued a document agreeing to assign the People's Committee of Dong Nai province as the competent state agency to implement the Cat Lai Bridge Project (replacing the ferry) under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, specifically a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract. Despite this, the Cat Lai Bridge Project has yet to be realized and constructed.

With the aim of strengthening inter-provincial and inter-regional transportation connections, Dong Nai province and Ho Chi Minh City have held numerous meetings recently to implement the Cat Lai Bridge Project.

With Long Thanh Airport scheduled to begin commercial operation in the first half of 2026, the early implementation of the Cat Lai Bridge Project is crucial to creating an additional transportation route connecting the airport with Ho Chi Minh City, relieving traffic congestion on the already overloaded Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway.

According to Provincial Party Committee member and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Ha, both localities have basically agreed on the necessity of implementing the project. "The goal of Dong Nai province is to start construction of the Cat Lai Bridge Project in 2026 and complete and put it into operation by the end of 2028," said Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Ha.

According to the Provincial People's Committee, the preferred investment option for the Cat Lai Bridge Project is to implement it under the PPP model, with the Cat Lai bridge section being implemented under a BOT contract.

Choosing the optimal investment option

On September 9, 2025, the Provincial People's Committee held a meeting with Construction Corporation No. 1 (CC1) to hear the company's report and proposal for the Cat Lai Bridge Construction Project.

According to a representative from CC1, the proposed project has a total length of over 11.6km, including the Cat Lai bridge which is 4.7km long. The preliminary total investment is over 18.8 trillion VND (excluding interest on loans during the construction period). Regarding the investment form, CC1 proposes a PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model, with Option 1 being a BOT and BT (Build-Transfer) contract paid for by the state budget, Option 2 being a BT contract paid for by the state budget, and Option 3 being a BT contract paid for using land funds.

Previously, in July 2025, the authorities of Dong Nai province and Ho Chi Minh City worked together to discuss the plan, form, and funding for the project. Accordingly, the two localities agreed to propose that the unit assigned to prepare the project dossier, the Dong Nai Provincial Investment and Construction Project Management Board, and the consulting unit study investment options in a single project under a public-private partnership (PPP, BOT contract) model. To ensure the synchronized progress of bridge and access road construction, the state budget will support land acquisition and investment costs up to the maximum percentage stipulated by law. In the event that the financial plan is not secure and it becomes necessary to divide the project into two components: a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) PPP contract for the Cat Lai bridge section and two public investment (or BT, depending on the actual situation of each locality) projects for the approach roads at both ends of the bridge, the two localities also agreed to develop a detailed implementation plan to ensure synchronization of construction progress, avoiding a situation where the bridge is completed but the approach roads are not, negatively impacting the operation, exploitation, and toll collection of the project.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Construction Duong Van Hieu, the Department of Construction of Dong Nai province and the Department of Construction of Ho Chi Minh City have recently coordinated to review and agree on the alignment of the Cat Lai Bridge Project to update it into the planning schemes of both localities. To date, Ho Chi Minh City has approved the 1/2,000 scale zoning plan for zone 6 of Thu Duc City. Meanwhile, Dong Nai province has updated it into the revised master plan for the Nhon Trach new urban area, which is currently being reviewed by the Ministry of Construction.

According to Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Ha, the Provincial People's Committee has assigned the Department of Construction to coordinate with relevant agencies to complete the project dossier so that the Party Committee of the Provincial People's Committee can report to the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee. After approval, the dossier will be submitted to the Provincial People's Council for approval of the investment policy for the project.

Pham Tung

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202509/cau-cat-lai-du-an-duoc-nguoi-dan-cho-doi-8ed1820/