Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called for the application of lessons learned from the recent implementation of major projects, especially the importance of “national solidarity” spirit in overcoming challenges to implement national major transportation projects. 

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the meeting on September 19. Photo: VGP

The Prime Minister made this statement at the 14th meeting of the State Steering Committee for Nationally Important and Priority Projects in the Transportation Sector, held on September 17.

At the hybrid meeting of the committee which he chairs, was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha; Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang; Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi; Chairman of the Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises (CMSC) Nguyen Hoang Anh; other members of the committee, ministry leaders, provincial and municipal leaders, as well as representatives from project management boards, investors, and contractors.

Currently, the country is carrying out 40 important national transportation projects with 92 components across the three modes of transport: road, rail, and air, spanning 48 provinces and municipalities.

Key projects and top priorities

PM Chinh emphasized the need for breakthroughs and acceleration to meet the goal of building 3,000 kilometers of highways by 2025 and 5,000 kilometers by 2030, as set out in the Party’s 13th Congress Resolution.

He stressed the completion of railway projects and the Long Thanh, Tan Son Nhat, and Noi Bai airports, ensuring timelines, quality, technical standards, aesthetics, safety, environmental protection, and the prevention of corruption.

At the meeting, key obstacles to the transportation project were addressed, including:

Land clearance: The Prime Minister urged local authorities to coordinate with investors to expedite land clearance by removing key bottlenecks and proactively resolving difficulties, particularly for highway projects slated for completion by 2025.

Construction materials: Local authorities were urged to speed up the approval of material sources and ensure sufficient supply. For projects in the northern and central regions, material supply has largely met construction demand, while in the southern region, efforts continue to ensure that progress is not hindered, especially in Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City.

Project implementation: The Prime Minister emphasized the need to plan construction around land clearance, material availability, and weather conditions, while preparing extreme weather scenarios to ensure worker safety and minimize damage. He encouraged round-the-clock construction to meet the 2025 goal of completing the 3,000-kilometers of highways.

Specific projects: Provinces with lower construction volumes like Can Tho, Soc Trang, and Bac Ninh must reassess their plans while Lang Son and Cao Bang were ordered to speed up the Huu Nghi-Chi Lang and Dong Dang-Tra Linh projects.

Hanoi, Hoa Binh, and Son La were urged to expedite paperwork to begin work on Section 3 of Ring Road 4 and the Hoa Binh-Moc Chau expressway.

Ho Chi Minh City must tightly control progress to ensure the urban railway project Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien is completed by November 2024.

At the same time, Ha Giang was advised to reassess its budget and report to the relevant authorities to resolve local funding issues for the Tuyen Quang-Hang Giang project.

Long Thanh International Airport Project: Construction of state management offices, the air traffic control tower, and the passenger terminal are on track, with other packages and runway, taxiway, and connecting road components are under implementation.

Tan Son Nhat Terminal 3: The concrete work and steel roof installation for Terminal 3 at Tan Son Nhat International Airport have been completed, and the remaining items are progressing on schedule.

Urban rail projects: The Nhon-Hanoi Station urban rail project has completed tunneling for the underground section, while the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien urban rail project continues trial runs until November 2024 for safety certification and operator training. 

The hybrid meeting gather representatives of different ministries, agencies, and localities. Photo: VGP

Make missions possible

To meet the 2025 objectives and address the aftermath of natural disasters, ministries and localities must push forward with nationally important projects. These efforts will boost public investment disbursement, create new development spaces, increase land value, reduce logistics costs, enhance product competitiveness, create jobs, and spur growth.

Any locality that has not performed well must learn from those that have, and underperforming areas must be held accountable.

Referring to the recent impacts of Typhoon Yagi or Storm No. 3, which caused significant damage, the Prime Minister highlighted the strength of the people and the solidarity and resilience of the nation in overcoming adversity. He called on the Ministry of Transport and localities to continue their efforts to meet deadlines despite adverse weather conditions.

“Although Storm No. 3 has caused significant losses, we must still achieve the goals we have set,” PM Chinh stated.

He stressed the importance of self-reliance and resilience, drawing on the lessons learned from major projects in previous terms, including the 500kV transmission line and Long Thanh International Airport. 

Hanoi-Haiphong Expressway, the session at Gia Lam District, Hanoi. Photo: Pham Hung/The Hanoi Times

Assignments for ministries

The Ministry of Transport must continue to instruct investors and contractors to collaborate with localities to expedite construction and complete the North-South Expressway, Bien Hoa-Vung Tau, and Hoa Lien-Tuy Loan projects by 2025.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is expected to provide guidance to localities on the daily operation hours allowed for riverbed sand and gravel extraction.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment must promptly complete the appraisal reports for the Tan Phu-Bao Loc and Ninh Binh-Haiphong projects and the feasibility study for the North-South high-speed railway.

The Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises (CMSC) should direct the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) to complete the feasibility study for the expansion of the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh section and the completion of the Ben Luc-Long Thanh project by 2025.

The Prime Minister concluded by stating that Vietnam will successfully complete these priority transportation projects with the highest sense of responsibility, “for the people, for the nation’s development, and for the pride of our country.”