According to the plan, Long Thanh Airport will begin commercial operations on June 11th. It is expected that approximately 80% of international flights and 10% of domestic flights from Tan Son Nhat Airport will be transferred to this new airport.
The distance from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh Airport is approximately 40 km. Currently, a number of road routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai have been largely completed. Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai are investing heavily in several metro lines, and some waterway routes have also been proposed.
All roads are leading to Long Thanh Airport.
There are currently about 8 road routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Long Thanh Airport, including 3 expressways. These routes are all scheduled for completion concurrently with Long Thanh Airport's commercial operation in 2026.
Many routes to Long Thanh Airport will be completed in time for the airport's official commercial operation in June 2026.
Of these, the most important route is the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway, with a length of nearly 55 km, which helps shorten travel time from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh to about 40-50 minutes (under normal traffic conditions).
Currently, the project to expand the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressway to 8-10 lanes on the Dong Nai side is being accelerated. The Ho Chi Minh City side is lagging behind due to land clearance issues in Long Truong and Long Phuoc wards.
The Ministry of Construction has just issued a conclusion by Deputy Minister Pham Minh Ha, requesting the investor, Vietnam Expressway Investment and Development Corporation, to accelerate the progress and quality of the project. The conclusion affirms that the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh Expressway expansion project is a vital transportation artery connecting Long Thanh Airport with Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces, and must ensure efficient operation once the airport becomes operational.
According to the plan, this project will be completed in December 2026.
One project aimed at relieving traffic pressure and reducing travel time from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh Airport via the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway is the An Phu interchange. To date, this key project, with a total investment of over 3,400 billion VND, has put several components into operation, including two underpasses and an overpass. The entire project is expected to be completed in the second quarter of this year.
The Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway is the main route to facilitate transportation in the initial phase when Long Thanh Airport becomes operational.
National Highway 51 is also the main route connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Long Thanh Airport from the Ba Ria-Vung Tau area. This road is currently experiencing an excessively high volume of traffic; however, once the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway is operational, the pressure on National Highway 51 will decrease, thus shortening travel time for passengers using this route.
Following the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway, passengers traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh airport will reach the intersection with National Highway 51, then turn onto this highway to reach T1 road - one of the routes directly connecting to Long Thanh airport.
Also from the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway, passengers from Ho Chi Minh City who do not enter National Highway 51 can continue straight to the intersection with the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway to connect to Highway T1.
Currently, the T1 and T2 routes connecting directly to Long Thanh Airport have been completed. The interchange between T1 and National Highway 51 is also basically finished. The Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway also put a section into operation during the Lunar New Year of the Horse. Therefore, when Long Thanh Airport begins commercial operation, passengers from the center of Ho Chi Minh City will find it convenient to travel via these routes, significantly reducing travel time compared to going via National Highway 51.
The An Phu interchange opened several sections to traffic on January 15th.
The entire project will be completed by June, shortening travel time from Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh Airport via the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway.
A convenient route from Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh Airport is the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3. This road was opened for technical traffic on January 15th, and Ho Chi Minh City aims to put it into operation this June.
Currently, the Nhon Trach bridge and the 11 km section passing through Dong Nai province have been opened for technical traffic. From Ring Road 3, vehicles will connect to Provincial Road 25B, extending from the old Nhon Trach center to National Highway 51 leading to the airport.
Provincial Road 25B, which is over 9.2 km long, is being expanded in Dong Nai province and is expected to be completed in June.
From Ring Road 3, visitors can also connect directly to T1 road to reach Gate 1 of Long Thanh Airport via Provincial Road 25C. This 8-lane road is also nearing completion and is expected to be finished in June, in time for the Long Thanh Airport's operation.
Another option is the Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway. This route is awaiting the completion of the Phuoc Khanh bridge – a cable-stayed bridge spanning the Soai Rap river connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai province – and is expected to be ready for operation in the second quarter of this year.
The Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway is ready.
Upon completion, the Ben Luc-Long Thanh expressway will create a seamless connection between key transportation arteries including the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong expressway, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway, and the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3, facilitating travel from the Mekong Delta to Dong Nai and Long Thanh airport.
Additionally, passengers from Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh, and the Mekong Delta traveling to Long Thanh Airport can also take the Hanoi Highway via National Highway 1 and the Dong Nai Bridge.
Residents and tourists traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai and then to Long Thanh Airport can also take the Cat Lai ferry route, combined with Ring Road 2 and the radial routes of Ho Chi Minh City. The Cat Lai bridge is already under construction in this area, and the Phu My 2 bridge is expected to be completed in the next few years.
Mr. Nguyen Kien Giang, Deputy Head of the Department of Maintenance and Operation of Transportation Works, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, said that Ho Chi Minh City has closely coordinated with Dong Nai and other localities in the region to promote key transportation projects, ensuring the formation of a synchronous connection network when the airport comes into operation.
Ho Chi Minh City currently has a series of projects aimed at improving connectivity, such as Ring Road 4, Ring Road 3, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway, the Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway, the expansion of the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway, and the expansion of Provincial Road 25.
The final section of the Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway, the Phuoc Khanh bridge, is currently in the final stages of completion.
It is projected that by 2026, the Southeast region will have completed approximately 394 out of 598 km of ring roads and expressways; and by 2028, the entire region's transportation infrastructure framework will be basically completed according to the plan.
Intensive metro construction
From 2025 to the present, Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai have been racing to implement transportation projects connecting the two localities and Long Thanh Airport. In addition to a series of basic road projects that have been completed, urban railway lines connecting the airport are also in their final stages.
In a special session on February 6th, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council passed a resolution allowing Dong Nai province to extend Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) to the Dong Nai Provincial Administrative Center and Long Thanh International Airport.
Previously, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council also approved the addition of this project to the list in accordance with Resolution 188 of the National Assembly, on piloting some specific and special mechanisms and policies to develop the urban railway network system in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai are investing heavily in transportation infrastructure connecting the two localities and Long Thanh Airport.
The Metro Line 1 project, extending from the Suoi Tien Bus Station (Ho Chi Minh City) to the Dong Nai Provincial Administrative Center and Long Thanh International Airport, has a total length of approximately 41.4 km and a preliminary investment of about VND 60,261.8 billion. Dong Nai province plans to begin implementation in 2026 and complete operation in 2029.
Ho Chi Minh City, in particular, is striving to complete three metro lines connecting Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat airports by 2030 at the latest.
Currently, construction has begun on Metro Line 2, specifically the Ben Thanh-Tham Luong section. Leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction stated that the Ben Thanh-Thu Thiem metro line is preparing for construction, and the Thu Thiem-Long Thanh railway line will begin construction around the middle of this year.
On February 23, Mr. Tran Ba Duong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Truong Hai Group (THACO), announced that this year, in addition to accelerating the construction of the Ben Thanh - Tham Luong Metro line, the company will also commence construction of the Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem Metro line and the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh Metro line, with the goal of "completing and operating synchronously by 2030".
Specifically, the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway project is being studied for approximately 48 km in length, including 42 km of the main line and access roads to the depot, with a total investment of over 84,000 billion VND (nearly 3.5 billion USD). Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai province have agreed to assign Ho Chi Minh City the authority to implement the project. THACO is the investor proposing its implementation.
By 2030, there will be metro lines connecting Tan Son Nhat Airport, the center of Ho Chi Minh City, to Long Thanh Airport.
Regarding the Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem Metro project, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has approved THACO to conduct research and prepare a feasibility study report.
Once Metro Line 2 (from Tham Luong to Ben Thanh and Ben Thanh to Thu Thiem) is completed, passengers will have convenient access to travel from Tan Son Nhat Airport to the city center, specifically to Thu Thiem station. From there, they can continue their journey to Long Thanh Airport via the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line.
According to the pre-feasibility study report, the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway will be approximately 42 km long, with a design speed of 120 km/hour, and is expected to transport passengers from Thu Thiem to Long Thanh in just 20-25 minutes without requiring them to be far from other individuals.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, the city has identified three main transportation corridors connecting Long Thanh and Tan Son Nhat airports. The first is Metro Line 2, and the second is the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh line.
The second corridor is Metro Line 6 - Thu Thiem - Long Thanh, and the third focuses on connecting Metro Line 6 with Metro Line 1, as this line has been extended to the new administrative center of Dong Nai province and Long Thanh airport.
According to the plan, Long Thanh Airport will begin commercial operation in June 2026.
While awaiting the completion of the metro system, from 2026 onwards, the Southeast region will complete approximately 394 out of 598 km of ring roads and expressways; these routes all connect to Long Thanh Airport.
Ho Chi Minh City has also included Metro Line 3, connecting Vung Tau - Ba Ria - Phu My, in its list of priority metro projects to be completed before 2035. This line will connect Long Thanh Airport and areas along the route with the center of Vung Tau ward.
Economist Dinh The Hien believes that the most urgent requirement for connectivity now is the rapid completion of ring roads and expressways. He said that any project needs time to operate stably, and Long Thanh Airport, once completed, is expected to reach high operational efficiency in 2027 or 2028.
This was also the time when many major projects in Ho Chi Minh City, such as the Ring Road 3, the expansion of the Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway, the Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway, and the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway, became operational, creating a comprehensive transportation network.
To support passengers connecting between domestic and international flights in the immediate future, Ho Chi Minh City has planned to initially organize bus routes, ensuring convenience and efficiency.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/duong-toi-san-bay-long-thanh-ar1004780.html
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