According to its development orientation towards 2020, Ho Chi Minh City will gradually build and modernise its transportation networks to ensure stable, balanced, sustainable and long-term growth in order to become a national urban centre and a major trade - service centre in Southeast Asia.
Accordingly, the urban transportation network of HCM City is designed in accordance with the "open city" perspective which connects to new urban zones, satellite towns, industrial areas and other facilities to create force for joint development and maximise overall socio-economic strengths of the whole region.
Particularly, the city will build thoroughfares to support dense traffic flow routes like HCM City -Vung Tau and HCM City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay - Da Lat. It will construct surrounding trunk roads and artery roads to eastern and northern satellite towns. To address traffic congestion, it will operate vehicles capable of carrying large numbers of passengers, including subways and tramcars.
To enable traffic flow on busy roads, the city will build four interconnected elevated roads. The Saigon River will have an additional 14 bridges (both motor traffic and railway) and two tunnels to Thu Thiem, one for subway and one for motor traffic.
As regards railway network, the city will build HCM City - Loc Ninh - Cambodia railway (Trans-Asia railway) connected with Di An rail yard, a western belt rail line from An Binh Station to My Tho, Can Tho City, and a high-speed railway from HCM City to Nha Trang City. Besides, it will construct two specialised rail lines linking national rail lines with Hiep Phuoc and Cat Lai seaports and radial railway lines: Trang Bang - Tan Thoi Hiep, Thu Thiem - Nhon Trach - Long Thanh International Airport. In urban zones, the city will build suburban radial railway lines for train and two light rail lines. The company develops a subway system with six radial lines and annular lines connecting major centres of the city.
As regards water traffic and the port system, the city will revamp many canals to facilitate traffic from HCM City to Ca Mau, Kien Luong, Dong Thap Muoi, Moc Hoa, Ben Suc, Dong Nai and Vung Tau. It will restore and upgrade old river channels like Long Tau and Soai Rap and upgrade other river channels. It will build new Nhon Duc River port to serve transit demand from the Mekong Delta to Hiep Phuoc Port.
As regards airway, by 2020, Tan Son Nhat International Airport will become a regional and international aviation hub. The city will also have Long Thanh International Airport of the regional scale.
The transportation development planning to 2020 and beyond provides HCM City an open-directing position enabling the city to attain stable, balanced, sustainable and long-term development. However, according to Mr Le Toan, Deputy Director of the Department of Transport, the city will use 12,331 ha, accounting for 17 percent of urban land, and invest VND410.54 trillion (US$20 billion) for this planning. The city will face enormous pressures to create such a huge area, let alone capital, for the purpose. This requires a satisfactory land compensation policy from authorities and high awareness of citizens. Then, the city will become a civilised, modern and sustainable metropolis.
Thien Tan
Vietnamese
