The Prime Minister inspected the construction of the Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressway on the fourth day of Tet (Lunar New Year).

Accompanying the Prime Minister were Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh, Secretary of the Lang Son Provincial Party Committee Hoang Quoc Khanh, Secretary of the Cao Bang Provincial Party Committee Phan Thang An, and leaders of various ministries, departments, and localities.

This afternoon, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is expected to chair a meeting with relevant ministries, agencies, and localities to further promote these two important expressway projects.

As the initial segment of the eastern North-South expressway axis,Friendship-Chi Lang Expressway ProjectSpanning 60 km and passing through 7 communes and wards in Lang Son province, the project has a total investment of 11,808 billion VND. Construction began on April 21, 2024, and this expressway directly connects to three international border gates: Huu Nghi, Coc Nam, and Tan Thanh.

Another section of the Friendship-Chi Lang Project is the connecting route between Tan Thanh Border Gate and Coc Nam Border Gate (connecting the Friendship-Chi Lang Expressway with the Dong Dang-Tra Linh Expressway), 17 km long, with 2 lanes (roadbed width 14.5 m).

Currently, investors and contractors are mobilizing more than 3,200 personnel and over 1,200 machines, simultaneously deploying on more than 150 construction sites. Output has reached 4,970/7,950 billion VND (equivalent to 63% of the contract value).

And DDong Dang (Lang Son) - Tra Linh (Cao Bang) Expressway ProjectWith a total length of 121 km, the project is divided into two phases with a total investment of VND 25,550 billion under the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model.

Phase 1 of the project, spanning over 93 km and including 2 tunnels through mountains and 64 overpasses, has a total investment of VND 14,331.618 billion and commenced on January 1, 2024.

Phase 2 of the project commenced on August 19, 2025, and includes expanding the 93.35 km already invested in Phase 1 and constructing a new 27.71 km expressway (including 17 bridges and 3 tunnels through the mountains) connecting to the Tra Linh Border Gate (Cao Bang province), with a total investment of VND 12,072 billion.

Following the Prime Minister's directive in Official Dispatch No. 05/CĐ-TTg dated January 20, 2026, many project items in Phase 1 have been promptly redesigned to accommodate the expansion in Phase 2. Investors have simultaneously implemented construction in both phases, resulting in cost savings of over 500 billion VND.

According to Deo Ca Group, the Dong Dang-Tra Linh expressway project was implemented under particularly harsh terrain and weather conditions; in 2025 alone, prolonged heavy rains and floods reduced the actual construction time to only about 4 months. The flash floods at the end of September 2025 killed 3 Deo Ca engineers and caused billions of dong in material damage.

With the spirit of "overcoming the sun and rain," "eating quickly and sleeping urgently," and working in "3 shifts and 4 teams," investors and contractors have mobilized more than 1,300 pieces of equipment and over 2,800 personnel across 211 construction sites. To date, the output of phase 1 of the project has reached 7,459/11,476 billion VND (equivalent to 65% of the contract value).

To date, 135/152 km of the two projects have been partially completed, including 50/59 km of the Huu Nghi-Chi Lang project and 85/93 km of the Dong Dang-Tra Linh project.

Regarding land clearance, along the entire route of the two projects, there are still some residential areas and technical infrastructure facilities that have not yet been handed over. The People's Committees of Lang Son and Cao Bang provinces have committed to resolving the land clearance issues completely by March 2026.

During an inspection of the Dong Dang-Tra Linh Expressway Project, the Prime Minister commended the efforts and achievements of the relevant parties, especially Deo Ca Group and the officials, engineers, and workers on the construction site, who had to work under harsh terrain and weather conditions, including prolonged heavy rains and floods in 2025.

Compared to the inspection on the 4th day of Tet last year, the Prime Minister assessed that this year's project has seen many improvements: workers' incomes are higher, the road has been widened, the people are more enthusiastic, costs are lower, there is more room for development, and the added value of the land is higher. Wherever the road goes, it will attract businesses to invest, promote trade in the border region, create more livelihoods for the people, and develop the local economy.

In the coming period, the Prime Minister requested that the land clearance process be accelerated; Party Secretaries at all levels should directly supervise and head the land clearance committee to mobilize the entire political system. During implementation, it is essential to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of the people, applying existing mechanisms and policies flexibly and creatively, but fairly, in the spirit of doing what is most beneficial to the people.

The Prime Minister requested the Ministry of National Defence to mobilize military forces to assist in tasks that can be done, with the spirit of effectively promoting the three basic functions of the military: "a fighting force, a working force, and a productive labor force".

The Prime Minister also urged major contractors to continue creating favorable conditions for local businesses to participate in the supply chain and production, thereby creating more jobs for the locality and gaining access to modern technology and management experience to further develop and mature.

The Prime Minister requested that all relevant parties make their utmost efforts and accelerate the process further so that the Dong Dang-Tra Linh expressway can be inaugurated by April 30th, in celebration of the 51st anniversary of the "Liberation of the South and Reunification of the Country".