Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: The goal of having over 3,000 km of expressways nationwide by 2025 will be achieved.

On the morning of June 18th, in Ho Chi Minh City, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh pressed the button to simultaneously launch three key regional transportation projects in the South: the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway, and the Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot Expressway.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and other delegates pressed the button to officially launch the construction of the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 project and two expressways: Bien Hoa - Vung Tau and Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said he was very pleased to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for three national transport infrastructure projects with a total length of 247 km and a total investment of over 115,000 billion VND, which were simultaneously held at three locations: Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Dak Lak.

“These are a series of key transportation projects that will be launched this June. Yesterday (June 17), we started the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang project, and on June 25, we will launch the Ring Road 4 - Hanoi Region project with a length of over 112 km and a total investment of more than 85 trillion VND; and the Cao Lan - An Huu expressway with a length of 27 km and an investment of over 5.8 trillion VND connecting the two provinces of Dong Thap and Tien Giang, linking two vital expressways of the Mekong Delta region,” the Prime Minister said.

According to the Prime Minister, in the period from 2000 to 2021, the whole country only invested in and put into operation 1,163 km of expressways. Meanwhile, the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party sets a target of striving to have approximately 5,000 km of expressways nationwide by 2030. The target for 2025 is to achieve 3,000 km, and in 2026-2030, to strive for an additional 2,000 km of expressways.

"Therefore, in the 9-year period from 2021 to 2030, we need to invest in and build nearly four times the number of kilometers of expressways constructed in the past 20 years. From 2021 to the present, the whole country has inaugurated and put into operation an additional 566 km of expressways, bringing the total length of expressways nationwide to 1,729 km. Currently, many expressway projects are under construction, with 1,756 km having been started by the end of June 2023. If we are determined and strive hard, we can basically achieve the goal of having over 3,000 km of expressways nationwide by 2025," the Prime Minister emphasized.

The head of government stated that currently, many expressway projects are being expedited by the Ministry of Transport and local authorities, with procedures being accelerated to submit them to competent authorities for investment approval. This is a prerequisite for successfully achieving the goal of 5,000km of expressways by 2030.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivered a speech giving directives.

3 specific mechanisms to help speed up progress

According to the Prime Minister, today in Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Dak Lak simultaneously commenced construction on three expressway projects: the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 Project; the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway Project; and the Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot Expressway Project. These projects apply a unique mechanism, such as promoting decentralization and delegation of authority, with the central government assigning the local authorities as the project's managing agency; applying a mechanism for mobilizing resources combining central and local budgets; and using direct contracting to select contractors, thereby shortening the preparation time.

To implement the projects, in addition to funding, localities mobilized the entire political system, the support and cooperation of the people, and the sacrifice of personal interests for the common good, so the land clearance work for all three projects basically ensured the progress.

"I commend Ho Chi Minh City for handing over 87% of the land for construction in such a short time. This is an unprecedented achievement given the complexity of land clearance in the inner city, the large scale of compensation, and the impact on many people...", the Prime Minister said.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister also emphasized that all levels and sectors, especially the Ministry of Transport and the localities where the project passes through, have had to implement a huge amount of work: carrying out investment preparation, preparing technical designs and cost estimates, selecting contractors, land clearance, etc.

The Prime Minister stated that today's results are very commendable. However, this is only the first step; the work ahead is immense and full of challenges, such as continuing to clear the remaining land, including many densely populated areas prone to complaints; preparing a large volume of construction materials and waste disposal sites requiring active involvement from local authorities in granting permits; and constructing a massive amount of work within a short period, while also being affected by weather conditions...

To ensure the projects are completed safely, with quality, and on schedule, the Prime Minister requested that projects must ensure safety, technical standards, aesthetics, and environmental protection; avoid unreasonable cost overruns and the splitting of contracts; and combat corruption, negative practices, vested interests, and waste at all stages.

Finally, the Prime Minister emphasized that projects must ensure a balance of interests among the State, the people, and businesses; timely rewards should be given for good work, and serious action should be taken against violations.