On August 19, the Viet Namese Government Office announced the results of the 13th meeting of the Steering Committee for National Major Transportation Projects, chaired by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister urged ministries, sectors, and local governments to work together to complete the construction of 3,000 kilometers of highways by 2025, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification, and the 80th National Day.
Viet Nam's Ambitious Government Plan
In an effort to spur economic growth, Viet Nam's Prime Minister called for accelerating the disbursement of VND200 trillion in capital investment for transportation infrastructure projects across the country. He emphasized the importance of cross-sector cooperation to speed up the investment process, including completing administrative procedures, securing funding, and overcoming local challenges. Local governments were also urged to take concrete steps to speed up land acquisition.
As part of this effort, Prime Minister Chinh launched a 500-day campaign to complete 3,000 kilometers of roads in Dak Lak Province. He also instructed the Ministry of Transport to lead the cooperation with local governments to develop a detailed plan to achieve this goal, and urged investors and contractors to speed up the completion of 436 kilometers of delayed highways from 14 projects.
To date, about 1,000 kilometers of highways have been completed in 15 provinces and municipalities, bringing the total length of highways to nearly 2,100 kilometers. More than 1,700 kilometers are currently under construction, and work on the remaining 1,400 kilometers will begin soon.
Major Projects and Priority Areas
Between 2000 and 2021, Viet Nam successfully built and operated 1,163 kilometers of highways. The country now aims to expand its highway network to 3,000 kilometers by 2025 and 5,000 kilometers by 2030.
This means that from 2021 to 2030, Viet Nam must quadruple its highway construction capacity compared to the previous two decades. The Prime Minister emphasized that the success of these highway projects will be a key driver of economic and social growth, opening up new development opportunities, increasing property values, and reducing logistics costs.
Last June, the Ministry of Transport, the Viet Nam Expressway Corporation (VEC), and local governments were mandated to accelerate the construction of several strategic projects, such as Cantho - Hau Giang, Hau Giang - Ca Mau, Cao Lanh - Lo Te, Hoa Lien - Tuy Loan, Bien Hoa - Vung Tau, Ben Luc - Long Thanh, and Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang.
In addition to maintaining the pace of construction, the government stressed the need to enhance oversight to ensure project quality and prevent corruption, waste, and contract manipulation. These projects must meet quality, technical, aesthetic, and overall spatial standards upon completion.
The Prime Minister also instructed the provinces of Tien Giang and Ben Tre to prioritize all available construction material reserves, approximately 57.16 million cubic meters, for major projects like Chau Doc - Cantho - Soc Trang, which passes through Cantho and Hau Giang, as well as Ring Road 3 in Ho Chi Minh City.
