On addressing the ceremony, Nguyen Thanh Tai, the Vice-Chairman of HCM City People’s Committee, stressed on the tunnel’s strategic significance for the city’s future development. The event marks the development of an agricultural nation which is integrating into the world economy, he stated.

The Thu Thiem tunnel, spanning the Saigon River, is 1,490m long and 33.3m wide with six lanes for traffic.

Once completed, it is expected to ease congestion and shorten the distance between the city centre to the new Thu Thiem urban area, a breakthrough in urban traffic planning, according to Luong Minh Phuc, the Director of the East-West Highway Project Management Board.

Started in February 2005, the Thu Thiem tunnel and the 22 km East-West Highway , are expected to be open to traffic by the middle of next year.