It recently gave the green light to Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province authorities to do a feasibility study on the six-lane, VND9.3 trillion ($400.4 million) expressway.

It is the first section of a 77.8 km expressway which connects Bien Hoa Town in southern Dong Nai Province with Vung Tau Town in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province that has been approved in policy since 2016.

The 47 km section, which runs from Bien Hoa to Thi Vai – Cai Mep International Terminal in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, is set to cost VND9.3 trillion, in which $3.2 trillion ($137.8 million) is for land clearance.

Construction is scheduled between 2021 and 2025 in a public-private partnership model. The investor, which will be selected via bidding, is allowed to set up tolls to recoup investment for 23 years.

The expressway is set to reduce traffic on the existing National Route 51, which suffers regular congestion as it connects the two southern provinces with Ho Chi Minh City and the Thi Vai – Cai Mep deepwater port.

Vietnam is planning major expressways in the southern region to improve connectivity between HCMC with neighboring provinces, among them the My Thuan-Can Tho Expressway, whose construction is set to start in Q1, and the 10-year delayed Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway, which could open to traffic at the end of this year.