Promote the completion of a multimodal transportation system

Currently, the province is focusing on investing in expressways connecting regions, airports, seaports, industrial parks, and key tourism areas. In the photo: Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway (section passing through the province) was technically opened to traffic at the end of April 2025.

Railways, the final piece of the transport network

Cai Mep-Thi Vai Port Complex (CM-TV) is one of the deep-water ports in Vietnam capable of receiving large tonnage ships directly to Europe and America without transshipment. To optimize cargo transportation, the transportation system connecting to the CM-TV port complex needs to be synchronized with the railway, road, inland waterway and airport networks. Currently, the lack of a connecting railway line is becoming a major "bottleneck" in the problem of exploiting the potential of this port complex. In particular, for containers, oversized and overweight goods, railways will be the optimal mode of transportation thanks to their ability to carry large volumes, stably and with little impact from the weather.

Therefore, businesses expect the railway connecting to the CM-TV port cluster to be deployed soon to complete the connecting transport system. Mr. Tran Chi Dung, General Secretary of the Vietnam Logistics Service Enterprises Association, said that when transport infrastructure and seaport services are increasingly synchronized, businesses will save a lot of time and costs in transporting goods. This is a competitive advantage that not many localities have.

The addition of a railway line directly connecting the CM-TV port cluster not only contributes to reducing the load on roads and improving transportation efficiency, but also acts as a driving force to attract investment in supporting, processing and export industries.

Railways are no longer an additional option but a strategic link, contributing to the completion of the logistics ecosystem, bringing CM-TV closer to the goal of becoming a true international transit port.

Planned route of Bien Hoa-Vung Tau railway.

Speed up projects

On May 15, the Provincial People's Committee worked with the Department of Operations ( Ministry of National Defense ) and the Vietnam Railways Department to agree on a plan to adjust the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau railway line in line with the development orientation of the multimodal transport network in the Ho Chi Minh City region.

According to the new plan, the railway line is expected to be about 84km long, starting from Trang Bom station ( Dong Nai ) and ending at Ben Dinh island (Vung Tau city), instead of stopping at My Xuan industrial park as before. Extending the line to the city center and near the CM-TV port cluster helps optimize the transport of large volumes of goods, reduce pressure on roads, and support inter-regional passenger connections.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Ngoc Khanh emphasized that the province's strategic orientation is to form a complete infrastructure system, integrating highways-seaports-airports-railways into a synchronous network. These four pieces, if completed, will create a great boost for the socio-economy, contributing to making Ba Ria-Vung Tau a leading logistics, tourism and industrial center in the South.

Along with railways, the province is also interested in investing in airport connection infrastructure. With its location adjacent to Long Thanh International Airport (Dong Nai), the province is accelerating the implementation of key expressways such as Bien Hoa-Vung Tau and Long Thanh-Ho Tram. Of which, the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway is expected to complete phase 1 in 2026. The Long Thanh-Ho Tram route, with a total investment of about 17,000 billion VND, is also speeding up procedures to start construction in the near future. The formation of these traffic axes not only promotes air transport but also opens up great potential for high-end tourism, welcoming the flow of international visitors from Long Thanh airport.

In addition, Con Dao airport is also being studied for planning to increase capacity to promote socio-economic development of the island district at the forefront of the Fatherland.

Completing the multimodal transport network will help the Cai Mep - Thi Vai port cluster maximize its potential and advantages. In the photo: Loading and unloading goods at CMIT port (Phu My city).

Article and photos: TRA NGAN

Source: https://baobariavungtau.com.vn/kinh-te/202505/thuc-day-hoan-thien-he-thong-giao-thong-ket-noi-da-phuong-thuc-1043610/