Vingroup, Vietnam's biggest listed company by market capitalization, has submitted a document asking Ho Chi Minh City authorities to appraise its pre-feasibility study for a sea-crossing bridge-road project connecting Can Gio and Vung Tau.

The project, with an investment estimated at VND104.41 trillion ($3.96 billion), is expected to start construction in 2026 and be completed in 2029. It would be implemented under a public-private partnership (PPP) using a build-transfer (BT) contract.

The investor proposed to fund the entire project with equity and commercial loans, without public capital. The government would repay the investor with land of equivalent value once the project is completed.

HCMC, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, and Binh Duong province were merged in July to form the new HCMC. Can Gio is the only coastal district of the former HCMC, while Vung Tau is a town in the former Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

More than 10 minutes to go from Can Gio to Vung Tau

The 14.6-km link would include a 10.8-km sea-crossing bridge and a 3.8-km road section, with a width of 22.5 metres, four car lanes, and two mixed lanes.

The bridge would use a cable-stayed design with a main span of 600 meters and a clearance of 55 meters for large vessels. The project requires about 137.5 hectares of land, while the measurement of water surface will be defined later.

The route would start from Bien Dong 2 street in the Can Gio sea-encroachment urban area, cross Ganh Rai Bay and connect to Vung Tau via the planned Mai Sao-Ben Dinh road, ending at the intersection with 30/4 street in Tam Thang ward.

Travel time between Can Gio and Vung Tau would be cut to just over 10 minutes, according to project estimates.

Vingroup said Can Gio and Long Son-Vung Tau have strong potential in eco-tourism, industrial and port development, and logistics, but lack a direct transport link. Travel currently relies on National Highway 51 or the Can Gio-Vung Tau ferry, taking 90-120 minutes.

The proposed sea-crossing project would also support the development of Can Gio Beach Tourism Area and Long Son Industrial Park, while easing traffic on National Highway 51 and Road 965 and enhancing the capacity of the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex.

High-speed rail link adjusted, extended by 4.5 km

Earlier in November, VinSpeed, an entity in the Vingroup ecosystem, proposed an adjustment to the planned high-speed rail route connecting downtown Ho Chi Minh City and Can Gio. The new alignment would start at Ben Thanh market, replacing the earlier starting point in Tan Thuan ward.

The revised Ben Thanh-Can Gio high-speed rail line would have a total length of nearly 53 km, around 4.5 km more than the original plan, and a design speed of 350 km/h.

The project, expected to break ground on December 19, has an estimated investment of VND85.65 trillion ($3.25 billion). The line would run from 23/9 Park to the Vinhomes Green Paradise sea-encroachment area in Can Gio.

VinSpeed, the project developer, aims to bring the line into operation in Q3/2028.