Ho Chi Minh City will change the design of the 2km long bridge connecting Thu Duc and District 7.

Perspective of Thu Thiem 4 Bridge, which can raise clearance from 15m to 45m for large ships to pass. Photo: Portcoast

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, this unit has studied 5 options for clearance for Thu Thiem 4 Bridge. The options include: fixed clearance of 10m, 15m, 45m, underpass, or bridge with flexible lifting span from 15m - 45m. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport proposed a plan to build a bridge with a clearance of 15m for normal operation, but the main span can be raised to 45m when large ships pass by. In August 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee consulted the Ministry of Transport and said that it would choose the option to build a bridge with a fixed clearance of 15m, because it believed that this option was suitable for the operation of restaurant boats on the Saigon River. However, after Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai worked with relevant units, the city agreed on the planning direction of Nha Rong - Khanh Hoi port into an international passenger port. This forced the city to reconsider the construction plans for Thu Thiem 4 Bridge, to ensure there is enough space for large cruise ships to enter and exit the port area.

The Nha Rong - Khanh Hoi international passenger port project is currently being researched and prepared by Saigon Port Joint Stock Company to request investment policy from the Ministry of Transport and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. The project implementation area includes the entire area 3 and part of the K10 bridge connecting to Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, with a total area of ​​over 68,000 m². The port will be developed into a multi-purpose complex, including an international passenger port, a marina, a square, a parking lot and logistics areas serving port operations. The total investment of this port project is expected to be nearly 625 billion VND, and will be implemented from 2025 to 2027. Of which, the investor plans to allocate 30% of its own capital and the rest will be borrowed from banks or mobilized from other sources. The location of Nha Rong - Khanh Hoi port is very favorable, located right in the city center and opposite the new urban area of ​​Thu Thiem. This is a place that regularly welcomes large international cruise ships with the number of passengers from 300 to nearly 1,100 people per trip. Domestic passenger ships and restaurant ships on the Saigon River at night also create excitement for the area.

According to the representative of Saigon Port, the construction of Thu Thiem 4 bridge needs to be carefully calculated, because if the clearance of the bridge is fixed at only 15m, large ships will not be able to dock, losing the great advantage of Ho Chi Minh City in developing river tourism. Mr. Phan Xuan Anh - Director of Saigon Boat Tourism Company, emphasized that if Thu Thiem 4 bridge is built at a low height, the Nha Rong - Khanh Hoi port area will become a "dead river", with no large ships entering or leaving. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport said that it has requested the Department of Planning and Architecture to urgently study and update the planning of Nha Rong - Khanh Hoi international passenger port into the general planning adjustment dossier of Ho Chi Minh City. This will be the basis for determining the appropriate clearance for Thu Thiem 4 bridge, both ensuring traffic development and preserving the city's river tourism potential.