The HCM City Maritime Agency said vessels of all kinds would be prohibited from traversing the section between 7am and noon on Sunday when one of the tunnel's concrete modules would be towed in from Dong Nai Province's Nhon Trach District.

The stretch between My Canh and Nha Rong wharves would be closed from noon on Sunday to midnight on Monday when the module is installed.

The tunnel will link the city's Districts 1 and 2 when completed next year.

The city People's Committee has ordered managers of the East-West Highway and Water Environment Project – of which the tunnel is a part – and the towing contractor to ensure safety during the towing and installation processes and have rescue boats standing by.

Vuong Hoang Thanh, deputy director of the management unit, said the water-flow speed of 0.5-1 metres per second would facilitate the towing process.

"The riverbed will be scanned for safety using ultra-sound," he said.

Four tugboats and several pilot vessels would be deployed for the process, he added.

The two-day closure is expected to affect operations at several ports, including the Viet Nam International Container Terminals, Tan Thuan Dong, Sai Gon and Ben Nghe.

Ho Kim Lan, general secretary of the Viet Nam Seaports Association, instructed the ports to inform their customers about the situation in advance.

Hydrofoil services between the city and Vung Tau will be suspended next weekend.