The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has approved 12 sub-component projects for the construction of the Eastern North-South expressway in the 2021-2025 period.

Vietnam currently has over 1,000 kilometers of expressways across the country. File photo

The ministry announced the decision following resolution No.273 of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on changing the purpose of forest and cultivation lands for the execution of the project.

“This is a key milestone that concludes the project preparation and leads to the implementation phase,” noted the MoT.

Under the plan, 12 sub-component projects under the Eastern North-South expressway would cover a total length of 723.7 kilometers, including sections of Ha Tinh – Quang Tri (260.9 kilometers), Quang Ngai – Nha Trang (352.06 kilometers), and Cantho – Ca Mau (110.9 kilometers).

The total investment capital of the project is estimated at VND147 trillion (US$6.27 billion).

The National Assembly on January 11, 2022, approved the investment plan for the Eastern North-South expressway project in the 2021-2025 period, paving the way for the Government to start the preparation process.

According to the MoT, localities under the project are speeding up the site clearance, and expect to hand over 70% of the cleared site to contractors before November 20, 2022, for the construction to kick off on December 31, 2022.

As of the present, over 1,000 kilometers of the expressway have been built throughout the country. 

The Eastern North-South expressway is a major step for Vietnam to achieve the target of having at least 4,000 kilometers of expressways in the 2021-2025 period.

With the Eastern North-South expressway, Vietnam would have four major trans-Vietnam highways, including National highway No.1, Ho Chi Minh highway, and coastal highway.