Beginning October 10, Ho Chi Minh City enforces sweeping traffic reconfigurations across central corridors and the Bảy Hiền intersection to accommodate construction on the Bến Thành – Tham Lương metro line, launching a multiyear infrastructure overhaul that shifts key thoroughfares to one-way traffic.
Urban transit authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have set the stage for major structural work on the city’s second subway line by launching extensive traffic diversions at two critical underground station sites. The adjustments alter daily travel patterns across central districts, transforming heavily traveled corridors into single-direction routes and restricting turning movements at major junctions.
Central Corridor Restrictions on Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai and Cách Mạng Tháng Tám
The adjustments touch several core arteries, most notably along Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai and Cách Mạng Tháng Tám streets. Traffic on Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai is now restricted to a single direction running from Cao Thắng Street toward Huyền Trân Công Chúa Street. Parallel to this, Cách Mạng Tháng Tám operates one-way from Nguyễn Du Street down to Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai.
To relieve pressure on the restricted grid, Sương Nguyệt Ánh and Bùi Thị Xuân streets have been converted to handle two-way traffic for all vehicle classes. Drivers navigating away from the restricted Cách Mạng Tháng Tám segment are directed along a designated loop taking them through Huyền Trân Công Chúa, Thủ Khoa Huân, Lê Thánh Tôn, and Phạm Hồng Thái streets before returning to their route.
For motorists seeking alternative routes away from the new one-way stretch on Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, transit planners have laid out specific bypass directions. Drivers starting from Trương Định or Bà Huyện Thanh Quan can cut across via Nguyễn Đình Chiểu or Võ Văn Tần, then proceed along Cao Thắng to reconnect with Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai.
Along Điện Biên Phủ, city transportation rules now permit two-wheeled vehicles to execute continuous left turns onto Đinh Tiên Hoàng. In the vicinity of the 79 Điện Biên Phủ alley, also known as Cây Điệp alley, vehicles are prohibited from traveling out toward Điện Biên Phủ during two peak windows: from 6:00 to 8:30 and from 16:00 to 18:30.
Turning Bans and Lane Controls at Bảy Hiền Intersection
Motorists approaching the Bảy Hiền intersection face strict new turning mandates where Trường Chinh, Cách Mạng Tháng Tám, Lý Thường Kiệt, and Hoàng Văn Thụ converge. Vehicles moving along Trường Chinh can no longer proceed straight through the junction; instead, drivers must make a right turn onto Lý Thường Kiệt or a left turn onto Hoàng Văn Thụ.
Traffic originating from Cách Mạng Tháng Tám faces similar limitations at the same junction. Vehicles are restricted to right turns onto Hoàng Văn Thụ, with direct crossings and left turns barred entirely. Transportation officials have also erected new physical dividers along Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street from Cầu Bông to Võ Thị Sáu.
Additional traffic measures affect heavy vehicles and minor lanes throughout the zone. Trucks and passenger coaches are limited to a single direction on Đinh Tiên Hoàng from Điện Biên Phủ to Nguyễn Văn Giai.
Metro Line 2 Construction Contracts and Long-Term Schedule
The sweeping traffic overhaul supports the construction of the Bến Thành – Tham Lương metro project, an 11.3-kilometer transit system featuring 10 underground stations, one elevated station, and a depot.
The main engineering contract is held by a joint venture between THACO and China Railway Corporation, operating alongside domestic subcontractor Công ty TNHH Đầu tư phát triển Hòa Thịnh. China Railway Sixth Group Co., Ltd. has received regulatory approval to act as a subcontractor for the segment spanning from station ST08 to ST11, excluding station ST09 and the diaphragm wall of station ST10, while also undertaking bored tunnel sections from ST07 to ST10, open-cut excavations, retaining walls, viaducts, the depot, electrical substations, and track installation works.
The city’s transit authority has mapped out a multiyear timeline to bring the rapid transit corridor from excavation to commercial operation. The EPC package is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2030.