According to Saigon-My Thuan Expressway Co Ltd, the project operator, construction is progressing at 36 road sites and 33 bridge sites, with around 1,400 workers and 450 machines and pieces of equipment deployed.
Work completed so far is valued at approximately VND 2.15 trillion, accounting for more than 10 per cent of the contract value.
Contractors are building bridges, reinforcing weak ground, constructing road embankments and installing drainage systems along the route.
On the Km60+094-Km75 section through Tan Phu Commune in Dong Thap, contractors are carrying out excavation, sand filling, cement deep mixing (CDM) ground treatment and drainage construction.
Dang Minh Dang, a construction site manager, said more than 120 workers and 40 machines had been deployed despite unfavourable weather.
On the Km55-Km60 section in Long Dinh Commune, Dong Thap, bridge and road works are proceeding simultaneously, including bored pile drilling, pier construction and ground reinforcement.
Contractors are working around the clock in an effort to shorten the construction schedule by approximately six months.
However, land clearance and utility relocation, originally scheduled for completion in July 2026, remain unfinished.
As of mid-October, more than 117 hectares still required clearance, including 20.15 hectares in HCM City, Tay Ninh and Dong Thap identified as priorities because they directly affect the main expressway and interchanges.
On the Km10+820-Km12+860 section through My Yen Commune in Tay Ninh, contractor Quoc Viet has deployed two drilling rigs and around 70 workers and technical staff.
Construction remains constrained by nearby homes and power lines, fibre-optic cables and underground utilities that have yet to be relocated.
Chu Van Anh, a site manager at Quoc Viet, warned that the contractor could run out of available work areas if local authorities failed to hand over the remaining land by the end of October.
The project operator identified several locations at risk of construction suspension, including the Cho Dem interchange at Km9+500 and sections between Km11+100 and Km12+000, Km34+300 and Km35, and Km37+400 and Km37+650.
Delays in relocating electricity and telecommunications infrastructure are also affecting ground treatment, bridge construction and investment disbursement.
Meanwhile, the project is introducing digital construction management technologies, including a common data environment (CDE), building information modelling (BIM) and digital twins.
These systems are intended to integrate information from design and construction through inspection, payment, operation and maintenance, allowing real-time monitoring and data access.
To address the Mekong Delta's weak soil conditions, contractors are also using cement deep mixing in suitable sections instead of conventional preloading with prefabricated vertical drains.
The technique is expected to reduce settlement differences between existing and widened road sections, shorten ground treatment times and reduce demand for sand amid material shortages.
The 96.13-kilometre expansion project runs through HCM City, Tay Ninh and Dong Thap, with total investment of VND 36.125 trillion (USD 1.37 billion).
Construction began on December 19, 2025, and is scheduled for completion in December 2028.
Project officials said resolving outstanding land clearance and utility relocation issues would be essential to maintaining construction momentum and meeting the deadline.
