Vietnam launches or completes infrastructure projects worth almost $49bn across 34 cities, provinces

The initiatives include 161 groundbreaking ceremonies and 89 inaugurations, spanning critical sectors such as expressways, airports, industrial zones, public housing, and power generation. 

Approximately 37 percent of the total investment is sourced from the state budget, with the remainder coming from private and foreign investors, according to the Ministry of Construction.

In Ho Chi Minh City, authorities broke ground on the first underground traffic tunnel in the former Binh Duong area.

The four-lane Phuoc Kien tunnel, stretching 630 meters beneath National Highway 13, is expected to ease chronic congestion along the route connecting the Phu Cuong Bridge and the My Phuoc–Tan Van Expressway.

The city also launched an expansion of DT748 Road to six lanes, aiming to link with Ring Road 4. The project is estimated at VND3.1 trillion ($117.8 million).

Separately, Vietjet Air began construction on two aircraft maintenance hangars at the under-construction Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai Province. 

With a budget of VND1.7 trillion ($64.6 million), the facilities are expected to service multiple wide-body and narrow-body aircraft by mid-2026.

In central Vietnam, the Gia Lai government commenced work on a second runway at Phu Cat Airport, designed to accommodate both civil and military use. 

The project, budgeted at VND3.25 trillion ($123.5 million), is expected to bolster the region's tourism and logistics sectors.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam Exhibition Center (VEC), backed by Vingroup, was inaugurated in Hanoi. 

Spanning over 900,000 square meters, the venue is among the ten largest exhibition complexes globally. 

It features a 130,000-square-meter main exhibition hall with a steel dome.

Its inauguration event drew high-profile attendees including Party General Secretary To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and senior Party and government officials.

In the south, construction began on the Ca Mau–Dat Mui Expressway, the final link of the North–South Expressway. 

The 90-kilometer highway, along with a planned bridge to Hon Khoai Island and a dual-use port, represents a combined investment of nearly VND100 trillion ($3.8 billion).

The bridge, when completed, will be Vietnam's longest sea-crossing and Southeast Asia's third-longest.

In Can Tho City, construction also began on the O Mon 4 Thermal Power Plant, a key gas-fired project valued at over VND27 trillion ($1 billion), aimed at bolstering national energy capacity.

Elsewhere, the Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant expansion in northern Phu Tho Province saw its first turbine connected to the national grid. 

The 240 MW generator is part of a VND9.2 trillion ($349.7 million) project expected to add nearly 500 million kWh of annual output.

Several industrial and housing projects were also launched. 

Hoa Phat Group initiated the development of the Hoa Tam Industrial Park and Bai Goc Port in Dak Lak Province, part of a broader VND120 trillion ($4.6 billion) investment through 2030. 

In the Central Highlands, Lam Dong Province broke ground on a VND5 trillion ($190 million) residential complex for workers at Ham Kiem II Industrial Park, offering more than 5,500 housing units and social amenities.

Speaking at the national ceremony, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh said the unprecedented scale of investment reflects Vietnam's push to modernize its infrastructure and mobilize diverse capital sources. 

"These are strategic projects, not only the result of collective efforts to overcome challenges, but also symbols of the nation's development aspirations and determination to move forward," Minh said.