Although carried out under an emergency order, the process must strictly comply with relevant regulations and procedures while ensuring safeguards against corruption and waste, and maintaining efficiency, he said.

According to a report by Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Construction submitted to the Ministry of Construction, the city plans to break ground in the first half of this year on two metro lines totaling more than 50 km, linking the city center with Long Thanh Airport: the Ben Thanh-Thu Thiem line and the Thu Thiem-Long Thanh line.

The two projects have been proposed by Truong Hai Group for investment under a public-private partnership (PPP) model using build-transfer (BT) contracts.

For the Ben Thanh-Thu Thiem route, the city has assigned the investor to prepare a feasibility study report, with groundbreaking expected in April and completion scheduled within five years.

The Thu Thiem-Long Thanh line has been upgraded from a light rail to an urban railway. The city is considering assigning the investor to conduct research and implementation, aiming to begin construction before June 30 and complete the project by 2030.

Long Thanh airport, with total investment estimated at almost VND337 trillion (US$12.94 billion), received its first ceremonial flight on Dec. 19, 2025 and is expected to begin commercial operations by mid-2026, initially handling long-haul flights from Europe, North America, India and the Middle East.

However, the project faces challenges in transport connectivity with Ho Chi Minh City.

Currently, connection between the city and the airport relies mainly on road transport, with the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway serving as the primary route and frequently operating beyond capacity.

The distance from the city center to the airport is about 40 km, while expanded expressways and connecting metro lines remain incomplete.

Several projects, including Ring Road 3, National Highway 51, and provincial roads 25B and 25C, are under construction or being upgraded but lack synchronization, posing a continued risk of congestion once the airport becomes operational.