SHORTEN TRAVEL TIME FROM HO CHI MINH CITY TO LONG THANH

Fast, safe

According to the investor - Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC), the section of the route that is about to be put into operation is from Km 4+000 to Km 23+900, from the Ring Road 2 intersection in District 9 (Ho Chi Minh City) to National Highway 51 Intersection (Long Thanh District, Dong Nai Province). The maximum speed when traveling on this highway will be 100km/h and the minimum speed will be 60km/h. The minimum safe distance is 80m. When it is raining, foggy with slippery road surface, the driver must adjust the appropriate speed and safe distance greater than the prescribed safety distance.

Mr. Bui Dinh Tuan - Director of VEC O&M (the unit tasked with operating and exploiting the route) said that when put into operation this expressway will shorten the distance and time to go to the vicinity of Ho Chi Minh City. Currently, from Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh district, Dong Nai province with a length of about 45km, the traffic time takes more than an hour, due to the slow speed of vehicles, often prolonged congestion, and high safety risk. If the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway is opened, it will shorten the traffic time through the Ring Road 2 to National Highway 51 section to less than 20 minutes compared to currently.

According to Mr. Tuan, the journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau is about 120km, going in the direction of Hanoi Highway and National Highway 51, the traffic time takes more than 2 hours and 30 minutes. When the highway is opened to traffic, the distance will be shortened to about 95km with the traffic time reduced to only half, due to the shortening of the distance and the guaranteed quality of traffic, without congestion. Similarly, the section from Ho Chi Minh City to Dau Giay T-junction, about 70km long, traveling along the Hanoi Highway and National Highway 1A, takes 2.5 hours due to frequent congestion. When the project is opened to traffic, vehicles can follow the highway down to the National Highway 51 intersection, then follow the DT769 route to National Highway 1, to the northern provinces, the travel time then will be shortened to about 80 minutes.

VEC O&M leaders also said that when traveling on this highway, drivers will feel safer because the road has two separate and clear directions, with no intersection with other roads. Vehicles will be best supported when there is a problem. On the road, there is always an operating force (including traffic police, operation staff, traffic rescue, medical rescue) on duty 24/24 to acknowledge and handle all situations when there is an incident.

Drivers will have many options

It is noteworthy that in this temporary traffic clearance and operation, in addition to vehicles such as motorcycles and rudimentary vehicles, trucks over 10 tons, 20 feet, 40 feet container trucks, and specialized trailers are not allowed to circulate on this highway. Explaining this, Mr. Mai Tuan Anh - General Director of VEC said that because Ring Road 2 has just completed step 1, the path to the expressway has only just been completed, so it only ensures vehicles under 10 tons in trafic. Until the 4km section from An Phuc intersection (District 2) to Ring Road 2 intersection (District 9) is completed, the road quality will be ensured for heavy trucks to run.

Regarding toll collection, VEC leaders said that drivers have to buy tickets only after getting on the highway to the toll station located in Long Phuoc (District 9). There are 3 levels of fees: VND 40,000 for vehicles under 12 seats, trucks under 2 tons, buses; VND 60,000 for cars from 12 -30 seats, trucks from 2 to under 4 tons. For vehicles with 31 seats or more, trucks from 4 to under 10 tons, the fee is VND 80,000.

Also according to Mr. Mai Tuan Anh, Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway is invested with loan capital, so when formulating the project, VEC had calculated the collection of fees to repay the donor's debt, at the same time, to ensure the operation and maintenance of the works without profit purposes. This fee had been introduced since project formulation and approved by ministries and departments. Moreover, the current Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway section is not the only route, drivers can choose a suitable route for themselves.