The Ministry of Transport (MoT) plans to approve the feasibility study for a project developing inland waterway and logistics corridors in Vietnam’s south this month.

The project was approved by the Prime Minister last August and has total investment capital of $168.795 million, which will be sourced from World Bank (WB) loans, Australian Government non-refundable aid, and reciprocal funding from Vietnam.

A loan agreement is scheduled to be signed between leaders of the MoT and the WB in December.

The project will renovate and upgrade a 197-km east-west corridor connecting a number of major rivers in the south, which will allow self-propelled vessels of up to 600 tons and three-tier container ships to pass at any time of the day, while vessels of up to 1,500 tons can pass at hide tide.

It will also repair and upgrade an 82-km north-south corridor along various rivers, which is expected to enable the free and safe movement of self-propelled vessels of up to 5,000 tons and four-tier container ships.

Construction is scheduled to begin next year.