Construction of the Hanoi-Vientiane expressway via the Thanh Thuy border gate.

(Baonghean.vn) – On the morning of August 4th, in Vinh City, a delegation from the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport and the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport held a working meeting to finalize the plan for the construction of the Vientiane – Hanoi expressway.

Overview of the working session

Attending the meeting were: HE Lattanamany KHOUNNIVONG – Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport of Laos; HE Khampheuy KEOKINALY – Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-Laos Cooperation Committee, along with representatives from the embassies of both countries and officials from the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

On the Vietnamese side were: Mr. Le Dinh Tho - Deputy Minister of Transport; Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to Laos, along with representatives from the Government Office and central ministries and agencies.

Nghe An province was represented by Mr. Le Ngoc Hoa – Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, along with leaders from the Department of Transport and other departments and agencies.

The Lao delegation at the working session.

The Vietnamese delegation from Nghe An province at the working meeting.

Prior to the working session, the delegations from the two ministries conducted a field survey along the Thanh Thuy border gate road (Thanh Chuong - Nghe An province), connecting to Vietnam's road systems and planning to connect to the expressway from Hanoi (Vietnam) to Vientiane (Laos).

Prior to the working session, officials from both countries conducted a field survey at the Thanh Thuy border gate (Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An province).

After studying various options and conducting field surveys, at a meeting, leaders of the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport and the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport agreed to choose the option of building the Hanoi-Vientiane expressway with a planned scale of 6 lanes, with 4 lanes built in phase 1, a length of approximately 725 km (381 km in Laos), ensuring vehicles can travel at speeds of 80-120 km/h. The estimated investment is over 3.7 billion USD, not including the sections already built in Vietnam; the investment in Laos alone is estimated at approximately 3.1 billion USD. Regarding funding, the two countries will cooperate and seek ODA investment (expected from Japan), effectively integrating it into the project.

The proposed route is Vientiane - Pakxan - Thanh Thuy (Nghe An) - Hanoi. If approved for construction, the route is expected to be operational between 2020 and 2025.

Map showing the route of the Hanoi (Vietnam) - Vientiane (Laos) expressway.

Officials from both Vietnam and Laos participated in the working session.

The two Ministries reached a basic consensus and reaffirmed the determination of the Politburo and Government of Vietnam and Laos in building the Hanoi-Vientiane expressway. Once this route is completed, it will open up many prospects for boosting socio-economic development in both countries.

Following this meeting, the two ministries will closely coordinate with the localities through which the road passes to report to the governments of both countries for a decision on the implementation of the road construction plan. The two ministries agreed to submit the plan to the governments of both countries in mid-August 2016.

Nguyen Son - Tien Hung