Accelerating the Construction Progress of Ring Road 4 - Ho Chi Minh City

​(News Portal – Dong Nai) - Ring Road 4 - Ho Chi Minh City is a critical arterial road connecting the provinces of the Southeast Region. Therefore, localities in the region are striving to accelerate the progress to commence the project soon. 

The Ring Road 4 - Ho Chi Minh City segment passing through Dong Nai province ends at the location before Thu Bien Bridge abutment, Tan An commune, Vinh Cuu district.  

Selecting a Comprehensive Consulting Unit
Ring Road 4 - Ho Chi Minh City was approved in detailed planning by the Prime Minister in 2011. This route will traverse five provinces and cities, including Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City, and Long An.
Regarding the implementation method, the localities have agreed that each locality will act as the competent authority to execute the segments passing through their areas.

The People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City is assigned as the focal point for consolidating the project implementation. The Ministry of Transport is the general coordinating body. Given that the project spans multiple localities, having a comprehensive consulting unit will ensure technical uniformity and consistency in financial aspects for the component projects under the public-private partnership (PPP) investment method.

In early May, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee approved the policy of using the city's budget to hire a consulting unit to review, compile a comprehensive evaluation report, and propose specific mechanisms and policies applicable to the Ring Road 4 - Ho Chi Minh City project.​

Accordingly, the cost of hiring the comprehensive consulting unit will be included in the total construction cost in the feasibility study report of the Ring Road 4 - Ho Chi Minh City investment project, segment passing through the city, with the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee as the competent authority.

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has tasked the city's Department of Transport with urgently leading and coordinating with the Departments of Transport of Long An, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, and related city departments to discuss and agree on relevant issues (work content, implementation progress, deliverables) to assign tasks to the comprehensive consulting unit; and organize the selection of the comprehensive consulting unit in accordance with current regulations.

Proposing Support Solutions
Due to the large total investment, the localities through which Ring Road 4 - Ho Chi Minh City passes have agreed to implement the project in phases. Specifically, in phase 1, four lanes will be constructed, and land clearance will be carried out once for an eight-lane scale.

In phase 1, land clearance will be conducted once according to the eight-lane plan to facilitate future expansion. The preliminary total investment for phase 1 of the Ring Road 4 - Ho Chi Minh City project is approximately over 127 trillion VND.

At the third meeting of the Southeast Region Coordinating Council chaired by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on May 5, Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces in the region proposed that the central government support 50% of the land clearance capital for Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Duong, and Dong Nai; 75% for Long An; and Ho Chi Minh City will self-balance its capital.

According to Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Chairman Phan Van Mai, during the preparation process, localities realized there is no mechanism for localities to use local budget funds to invest in the Ring Road 4 - Ho Chi Minh City project or a mechanism to use one locality's budget for another.

Therefore, Mr. Phan Van Mai proposed allowing Ho Chi Minh City to lead, in coordination with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Transport, and relevant ministries and localities, to develop specific mechanisms and policies for the Ring Road 4 - Ho Chi Minh City project (applying some specific mechanisms and policies implemented for the Ring Road 3 - Ho Chi Minh City project).

From Dong Nai province's perspective, Acting Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Vo Tan Duc also suggested that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee lead in reporting to the Government to submit to the National Assembly for approval of a specific mechanism resolution for the project. Notably, he proposed that the central budget support 50% of the state's capital participation in the project. Additionally, he urged the Binh Duong Provincial People's Committee to implement the construction of Thu Bien Bridge, a component of the Ring Road 4 - Ho Chi Minh City project. ​