Hanoi launched five key transport projects and broke ground on 24 investment projects in 2024, said Vu Manh Tuan, Deputy Director of Hanoi Transportation Investment Project Management Board.

"The year 2024 is of special significance in the pursuit of the plans and objectives for socio-economic development set by the Hanoi People's Committee, including the completion of major transportation projects," Tuan said.

He added that the city government has actively addressed obstacles, especially those related to site clearance. They have instructed district people's committees to commit to and take responsibility for the progress of site clearance for key projects. 

Vinh Tuy Bridge Phase 2 is one of the city's key priority projects. Photo: Pham Hung/The Hanoi Times

"In 2024, the Hanoi Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board focused on the implementation of Ring Road No. 4 - Capital Region, a national key project, as well as projects under the urban development program for 2023-2025," Tuan stressed.

At present, many important highways connecting the capital with the surrounding provinces, such as Hanoi-Lao Cai, Hanoi-Hai Phong, and Phap Van-Cau Gie, have boosted the exchange of goods and contributed to the development of the capital.

In particular, Ring Road No. 4, which plays a strategic role for the entire capital region, is taking shape after more than a year of construction. Once completed, it will open up tremendous opportunities for both Hanoi and the wider Red River Delta region.

The city has also completed several important and urgent transportation projects, such as the Nhat Tan-Cau Giay and Vinh Tuy-Nga Tu So sections of Ring Road No. 2, the O Dong Mac-Nguyen Khoai section of Ring Road No. 1, the Mai Dich-Nam Thang Long section of Ring Road No. 3, the 3.5 Ring Road from Thang Long Boulevard to National Highway 32, and some other projects to ease traffic congestion in the city center.

The 70th anniversary of the liberation of Hanoi also saw the commissioning of some important transport projects, such as the extension of Le Quang Dao Street and the route from Nguyen Van Cu Street to the Ngoc Thuy resettlement area.

"We have drawn up a plan to prioritize the implementation of projects in line with the city's direction. In terms of disbursement, relevant departments are expected to make a detailed plan to achieve their respective targets," Tuan told The Hanoi Times.

He informed that in the project of Ring Road 4, the districts have coordinated to clear 786.2 hectares of land, reaching 98.44% of the total area needed for this road construction. In the project to renovate and upgrade National Highway 6, Ba La - Xuan Mai section, they are focusing on pushing the implementation of three tender packages in Chuong My District and two packages in Ha Dong District. For the underpass at the intersection of Giai Phong Road, construction will be accelerated to ensure that the project will be completed in early 2025.

"As we have set 2025 as the last year of crucial importance to achieve the socio-economic development goals of the 2021-2025 term, we will focus on fast-tracking the projects from the early months of 2025," Tuan said.

Speaking at a meeting held in Hanoi on January 11, Duong Duc Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, assessed that in 2024, the Hanoi Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board has achieved some remarkable results. "The completion of special projects has contributed to Hanoi's socio-economic performance and gradually completed the traffic infrastructure system of the capital," the official said.

Duong Duc Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, presents certificates of merit to individuals and organizations with outstanding achievements in 2024. Photo: Pham Cong/The Hanoi Times

However, despite Hanoi's priority to allocate capital to key projects, their progress is still slow in terms of investment procedures and capital disbursement. To accelerate them, the Hanoi People's Committee has asked investors to coordinate with relevant agencies to complete investment procedures, urge contractors to speed up construction progress, draw up a specific disbursement plan, and commit to taking full responsibility for disbursement results, Tuan said.

The Vice Chairman asked the Project Management Board to make more efforts to find concrete and effective solutions to overcome the challenges and to accelerate the progress of key projects, especially transportation projects that have completed investment procedures. 

According to Nguyen Phi Thuong, Director of Hanoi's Department of Transportation, the transportation network is considered the blood vessel of the economy and the engine of Hanoi's urban development. "Therefore, the city has focused its resources on developing a modern transportation infrastructure."

In the coming years, Hanoi will build several new bridges, including Hong Ha, Van Phuc, Thuong Cat, Tu Lien, Tran Hung Dao, Ngoc Hoi and Me So, to improve connectivity.

He added that in the public transportation sector, the city has a fleet of 1,900 buses on 128 subsidized routes covering all 30 districts and towns. Of these, 282 vehicles are electric or CNG-powered, accounting for 14.8% of the fleet.

"The use of electric buses has helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 36,000 tons. The city has set a goal to have 70-90% of all buses running on electricity and green energy by 2030 and 100% by 2035," said the director.

Hanoi is the first city in Vietnam to have a metro system with the launch of Line 2A (Cat Linh-Ha Dong Line) in November 2021, ushering in a new era of mass transit. After three years of operation, the line has served more than 28 million passengers with absolute safety. In August 2024, the second metro line of Nhon-Hanoi Station was put into operation, helping to ease traffic congestion in the capital.

"This is an important prerequisite for Hanoi to continue investing in its metro system to serve residents and support the capital's rapid development in the future," Thuowng stressed. 

The second metro line of Nhon-Hanoi station is put into operation on August 8, 2024. Photo: Anh Kiet/The Hanoi Times