On July 1, 2026, something big happened for anyone who’s ever looked at a map of southern Vietnam and wondered why there’s no direct highway to Ho Tram. There will be.
The Ho Tram–Long Thanh Airport Expressway just broke ground. 42 kilometers. Six lanes. A nearly $1.7 billion price tag. And when it’s done, the trip from Vietnam’s brand-new international airport to Ho Tram’s beach resorts will take about 45 minutes instead of winding through provincial roads for two hours.
Here’s what happened, what’s being built, and — most importantly — what it means if you’re planning a trip to Ho Tram (now or in the next few years).
What Actually Happened
On July 1, a consortium led by Masterise Group held the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Ho Tram–Long Thanh urban expressway. This is one of eight mega-infrastructure projects HCMC launched to mark the city’s 50th anniversary — a combined $9.6 billion package that also includes the Can Gio–Vung Tau sea bridge and several major interchanges.
The expressway itself will stretch 42 kilometers, running from the future Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai province straight to the Ho Tram–Xuyen Moc resort corridor in Ba Ria–Vung Tau. Designed for 100–120 km/h, with six traffic lanes plus parallel service roads on both sides. The total investment: 46,918 billion VND (about $1.67 billion USD).
The Route — Where It Actually Goes
The expressway starts at the Long Thanh Airport interchange, connecting to both the airport terminal and the existing HCMC–Long Thanh–Dau Giay Expressway (which already runs from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai). From there it heads southeast, cutting across the coastal plain toward the Ho Tram–Xuyen Moc beach strip.
In plain English: once this thing exists, you’ll be able to fly into Long Thanh Airport, hop on this expressway, and be checking into Melia or The Grand Ho Tram before your phone finishes downloading the resort’s Wi-Fi password.
Right now, the drive from Tan Son Nhat Airport to Ho Tram takes about 2 to 2.5 hours. When Long Thanh Airport opens (more on that below) and this expressway is complete, the combined journey becomes roughly 45 minutes to an hour. That’s not incremental — that’s a fundamental change in what Ho Tram is.
What This Means for Travelers
Three things, mostly:
- Ho Tram becomes a legitimate airport-adjacent destination. Right now it’s “a bit of a drive but worth it.” Post-expressway, it’ll be closer to the airport than most beach resorts in Thailand are to theirs. That changes the math for weekend trips, short getaways, and anyone who doesn’t want to burn half a day in transit.
- Resort investment will accelerate. The Grand Ho Tram is already mid-way through a $1 billion expansion. Melia, Angsana, and others are watching this road — better access means more guests, which means more rooms, more restaurants, more everything. Prices will probably go up, but so will the quality of what’s on offer.
- Ho Tram stops being “Vung Tau’s quiet neighbor” and becomes its own thing. The expressway effectively gives Ho Tram its own dedicated transport corridor, separate from the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau route. That matters for branding, tourism marketing, and — honestly — for how Google maps the region.
If you’re a traveler, the takeaway is simple: Ho Tram in 2030 will look very different from Ho Tram in 2026. The uncrowded, slightly under-the-radar beach town you can visit now? That window won’t stay open forever.
Timeline — When Can You Actually Drive on It?
Let’s be realistic: this is a 42-kilometer expressway with bridges, interchanges, and service roads. It’s not opening next summer.
- Construction start: July 2026 (happening now).
- Expected completion: 2029. The official target is within three years, which would put it at mid-to-late 2029.
- Phased opening? Possibly. Vietnam has a track record of opening expressway segments before the full route is done (the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau expressway just opened a 37km section this past April while the rest is still under construction). If they do the same here, some segments could be drivable earlier.
Bottom line: if you’re visiting Ho Tram in 2026, 2027, or 2028, you’re still taking the current route — and that’s fine, here’s exactly how it works. But keep an eye on 2029.
The Long Thanh Airport Connection
This expressway doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Long Thanh International Airport — Vietnam’s new mega-airport — is racing toward completion. Phase 1 is expected to open by the end of 2026, with an initial capacity of 25 million passengers per year (eventually scaling to 100 million).
Here’s the key detail most travel guides miss: once Long Thanh is fully operational, all international flights to Ho Chi Minh City will move there from Tan Son Nhat. That means every international traveler arriving in southern Vietnam will touch down at Long Thanh — which just happens to be the starting point of this expressway.
So the equation works like this: Long Thanh Airport (Dec 2026) → all international flights land here → Ho Tram–Long Thanh Expressway (2029) → Ho Tram is now 45 minutes from the country’s main international gateway. That’s not a coincidence — the expressway was designed specifically for this connection.
What About Getting to Ho Tram Right Now?
Until the expressway is done, getting from Ho Chi Minh Airport to Ho Tram takes about 2 to 2.5 hours via the Long Thanh–Dau Giay Expressway and QL55 coastal road. Not a bad drive — the expressway portion is smooth, and the coastal stretch has its own charm. But it’s not 45 minutes.
If you’re heading to Ho Tram this year or next, private car transfer is still your best bet. No train, no direct bus, and Grab drivers tend to decline 2.5-hour one-way trips. We wrote a full guide on your options here — resort shuttles, private cars, what actually works and what doesn’t.
The Short Version
A $1.67 billion expressway just broke ground. When it’s done in 2029, Ho Tram goes from “nice beach, kinda far” to “the closest resort destination to Vietnam’s main international airport.” If you’re visiting before then, the current drive is fine — and we can help with that. If you’re thinking about buying a vacation home in Ho Tram, now you know why everyone else is too.
Need a transfer to Ho Tram right now? We do that daily. Contact us or reach out on WhatsApp at +84 70 6666 520 with your flight details and resort name — we’ll have a car ready when you land.
More on this: Ho Chi Minh Airport to Ho Tram — The Complete Transfer Guide.
