The project has been envisioned from two pressing necessities of HCM City:
1. Construction of a new deep-sea port accommodating the growing domestic and international cargo transport.
2. Expansion and linkage of river transport with sea transport in the regions.

Present Status of Maritime Navigation

From Nha Be (HCM City) to the Eastern Sea, vessels may sail through one of the two natural rivers:

Line 1: Entering Long Tau river from Nha Be until Nga Bay estuary (Ganh Rai Bay), 63 kms long. Currently, this permanently overused line turns out to be the most important maritime navigation route of Vietnam. However, the expansion of the channel for 30,000 - 50,000 tons vessels runs into trouble due to factual reasons:

• The route is subject to meanders, the convolution of some of which remains at 450 meters causing trouble to vessels when making a turn-around and accidents may happen.
  
• The riverbed is narrow, some sports have 380-430 meters wide, affecting the speed of vessels and consuming more fuels.
  
• Due to complicated topography, the costs of politage and signaling are quite high.

Line 2: From the Nha Be - Soai Rap River, one goes straightforward to Soai Rap estuary, about 50 kms long. In the two decades of 1950s - 1960s, the channels of international vessels declined at Soai Rap estuary owing to the narrow bed river and security reasons during wartime. But this route avails itself of its relative straightness, of more than 1,000 meters width and of short circuit. The alternative for expansion of vessel channels through the Soai Rap River appears thus more viable.

Project Objectives

• To create a new, safer and shortened channel for international vessels of greater tonnage;
  
• To exploit sand for the leveling up of the low, saline and marshy lands and to set up new site grounds for construction of new urban agglomerations and industrial zones;
  
• To enable the building of a large seaport.
  

Investigation Works

• Study on the sectional analysis of the meander after the Nha Be - Long Tau effluents for improving the maritime navigation in the existing natural conditions;
  
• Preparation of process for dredging Soai Rap river channels and study on the stability of these channels;
  
• Study on the efficiency and impact of dredging works upon the hydrologic regime of the network of Dong Nai - Saigon downstream and the changes in saline infiltration map.

The investigation works were finalized in late 1994 and proved well the feasibility of the dredging project.