Lang Road near the Lang Ha–Le Van Luong overpass. Photo by Hoang Phong
A road carrying 8,000 vehicles per hour despite being built for just 3,000 has been the last missing link in Hanoi’s second ring road for years, and the capital now wants to spend big money to double its width.
The Hanoi Department of Construction has submitted a plan to the city’s People’s Committee to overhaul a 4-kilometer section of Lang Road between Nga Tu So and Cau Giay, the last bottleneck on Ring Road 2, a 43.6-kilometer loop that circles the Vietnamese capital.
The project would widen the road from 21 meters to 53.5 meters at ground level and build a 19-meter-wide elevated road on top.
The estimated cost is over VND21.3 trillion (US$838 million), with land clearance alone accounting for nearly VND17 trillion, a reflection of how densely built-up the corridor has become.
The city aims to complete the project by 2028.
Lang Road is currently just 10.5 meters wide in each direction and suffers chronic rush-hour gridlock. The expansion is part of Hanoi’s broader push to close gaps in its inner-city ring road network and relieve pressure on the notoriously congested Nga Tu So intersection.
City engineers studied two approaches: an elevated expressway or a large-diameter underground tunnel that would double as stormwater storage to prevent flooding. The department recommended the elevated option after finding the tunnel posed too many complications.
The pillar foundations of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line would interfere with tunnel construction, engineers found, and there would not be enough space to fit four traffic lanes underground. The tunnel also risked damaging Mieu Pagoda and nearby homes, and its usable length would be limited by the planned Urban Railway Line 5 and existing ground conditions, reducing its cost-effectiveness.
The elevated expressway, by contrast, would align with the already-completed section of Ring Road 2 between Vinh Tuy and Nga Tu So, allow convenient ramp connections at intersections, and cause less disruption during construction.
The department proposed starting with public investment from the city budget to move quickly, with the possibility of shifting to a public-private partnership later to diversify funding.
The Nga Tu So-Cau Giay stretch is the only remaining section of Ring Road 2 that has not been widened or received an elevated expressway.
The ring road crosses the Red River via the Vinh Tuy and Nhat Tan bridges and the Duong River via the Dong Tru bridge.
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