An artist's impression of the My Thuan 2 Bridge connecting the southern provinces
of Tien Giang and Vinh Long. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Transport. 

Construction of My Thuan 2 Bridge will commence Thursday and is expected to finish by 2023 to improve southern connectivity. 

The bridge, linking the southern provinces of Tien Giang and Vinh Long, costs VND5 trillion ($216 million) from state budget.

It runs 6.6 km and is located 350 meters upstream from existing My Thuan Bridge on Tien River, one of two main Mekong branches in Vietnam.

The bridge will have six lanes, allowing maximum speeds of 80 km per hour.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Transport.

With six lanes allowing maximum speeds of 80 km per hour, the bridge is expected to improve connection between Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta provinces.

As one of 11 sections of North-South Expressway, the bridge will link Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway with My Thuan-Can Tho Expressway, construction of which will also begin this year.

My Thuan 2 Bridge is the third and final state-funded section of North-South Expressway to commence construction.

The Ministry of Transport is selecting investors for the remaining eight private-funded sections.