Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended a breaking ground ceremony for the Dong Dang - Tra Linh Expressway in northern mountainous Cao Bang province on January 1.

The 93.35-km expressway will connect Cao Bang and nearby Lang Son provinces, between the National Highway No. 3 intersection in the former’s Chi Thao commune and the Tan Thanh border gate intersection in the latter.

The project will be invested in under the public-private partnership (PPP) form, with total investment capital of VND14.33 trillion ($597 million).

It will be implemented over the course of 36 months.

Prime Minister Chinh said the project is significant in contributing to implementing Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s direction on developing infrastructure for disadvantaged localities.

The project will also help boost national socio-economic development. Once completed in early 2026, the expressway will serve as a new link facilitating the transportation of goods from Lach Huyen International Port in Hai Phong city to Chongqing and Urumqi in China, and Khorgos in Kazakhstan, and then on to Europe.