On the night of 7 September 2023, a five‑seat car travelling from Đồng Nai toward Vũng Tàu slipped into a roughly 20‑metre‑long excavation on the Biên Hòa‑Vũng Tàu highway near Km 2 in Phước Tân, Đồng Nai. The incident, captured by the vehicle’s dash‑cam, showed the driver attempting to avoid a poorly positioned warning sign; the lane‑changing maneuver led the car into the open pit, causing severe front‑end damage. The site, under repair, lacked adequate lighting and the posted signs were placed too close to the lane and offset from the centre, hindering visibility in the dark.
Following media coverage of the crash, the Vietnam Road Administration (Cục Đường bộ Việt Nam) issued a directive on 11 September to the IV Road Management Area, the Ho Chi Minh City and Đồng Nai Departments of Construction, and all project‑management boards. The order mandates that contractors and supervising consultants fully comply with construction‑site safety regulations, including the installation of proper signage, barriers, flashing yellow lights, and mobile fences with arrow indicators. Responsibility for any traffic congestion or safety hazards will rest with the contractors if standards are not met.
The agencies are also instructed to intensify routine and surprise inspections, promptly rectify deficiencies, and impose strict penalties on units that neglect occupational and traffic safety. The temporary 54‑kilometre stretch of the highway, opened on 18 May for vehicles with nine seats or fewer, operates at speeds between 60 and 80 km/h. Authorities stress that the reinforced safety protocols must be maintained throughout construction, repair, warranty and maintenance phases of the Biên Hòa‑Vũng Tàu project.