The country now has 2,268km of expressways.
On the morning of May 10th, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the State Steering Committee for National Key Projects and Transport Sector Projects, chaired the 17th meeting of the Steering Committee. According to information from the meeting, the country now has 2,268km of expressways.
The meeting was conducted online, connecting the Government headquarters to 49 provinces and centrally-administered cities that have nationally important projects and key projects in the transportation sector.
Attending the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Head of the Steering Committee Tran Hong Ha; Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc; members of the Steering Committee including Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies and government agencies; Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and cities; representatives of project management boards, state-owned economic groups, investors, consulting units, and construction contractors.
Opening the session, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that over the past three terms and in the draft documents of the 14th Party Congress, the focus has been on implementing three strategic breakthroughs, including a breakthrough in infrastructure development, especially transportation infrastructure.
The government, ministries, sectors, and localities have focused on effectively developing transportation infrastructure, including roads, railways, air travel, and waterways, helping to connect people, regions, the entire country, and internationally, reducing travel time, production costs, and logistics costs, creating jobs, and generating new development opportunities.
According to the Prime Minister, in the context of declining global growth, Vietnam's economic growth has been boosted and reached a high level. Going forward, along with continuing the revolution in organizational structure and implementing the "strategic quartet," other regular tasks must be implemented synchronously to promote growth, including solutions for investment, especially public investment, with transportation being a sector with a high proportion.
During the recent 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, 80 major and key projects were simultaneously launched and inaugurated nationwide; in anticipation of the upcoming 80th anniversary of National Day, another 80 major projects will be launched and inaugurated nationwide; and in celebration of the 79th anniversary of the nationwide resistance war and the 14th National Party Congress, other projects will be launched and inaugurated nationwide.
The Prime Minister requested members of the Steering Committee to review tasks, focusing on removing difficulties and obstacles, accelerating investment preparation procedures for projects; promoting the completion of the national target of having 3,000 km of expressways this year, 1,000 km of coastal roads, and implementing railway and road projects connecting with Laos and China…
In particular, the focus will be on promoting the construction of the standard-gauge railway line from Lao Cai to Hanoi and Hai Phong, with a determination to commence construction in 2025 to connect Vietnam's railway network with China, Central Asia, and Europe; effectively implementing the resolutions of the Central Committee, the National Assembly, and the Government on the development of transport infrastructure in the spirit of "only discussing action, not retreating".
Requiring members of the Steering Committee to uphold a high sense of compliance, a positive attitude towards work, and effective results, the Prime Minister emphasized that members of the Steering Committee must "speak the truth, act truthfully, achieve real results, and avoid formalism"; focusing on evaluating, reviewing, and resolving difficulties and obstacles, and promoting the implementation of projects.
In particular, localities must be more actively involved, especially in land clearance work, with the motto "local authorities decide, local authorities act, local authorities take responsibility." The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will review issues related to construction materials, land use conversion, and forests. The Ministry of Finance will review disbursement issues. The Ministry of Construction will review and promote projects to ensure progress and quality…
According to the Steering Committee, currently, the projects under its purview comprise 37 projects out of 95 component projects, including 35 projects in the road sector and 2 projects in the aviation sector. Since the establishment of the Steering Committee, the Prime Minister, as the Head of the Steering Committee, has chaired 16 meetings and has repeatedly inspected the sites and worked with localities to direct the resolution of difficulties and obstacles, and to expedite the progress of the projects.
Ministries, sectors, and localities have made efforts to implement the assigned tasks, and many difficulties and obstacles have been resolved. The progress of project construction has improved significantly, especially with 19 projects and sub-projects now put into operation.
Notably, 16 expressways included in the Steering Committee's project list have been completed and put into operation, increasing the total length of expressways nationwide from 1,163 km (before 2021) to 2,268 km; the connecting road and Terminal 3 of Tan Son Nhat International Airport have also been put into operation; and 52 projects and sub-projects are currently under construction, largely on schedule.
At the 16th meeting of the Steering Committee, the Prime Minister assigned 33 tasks to ministries, sectors, and localities, focusing on resolving difficulties and obstacles, and accelerating investment preparation procedures for projects; to date, the units have completed 26 tasks on time. In addition, the agencies are actively implementing 2 tasks related to regular guidance and management, and 5 tasks that have not yet met the required progress…