Investment

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has proposed public investment in three key national highways rather than in the public-private partnership (PPP) form, with funding totaling more than VND84.8 trillion ($3.7 billion), including Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot, Bien Hoa - Vung Tau, and Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang. It will make a submission to the National Assembly (NA) for a decision at its meeting in May.

In order to bolster inland waterway transport throughout the Mekong Delta, the Ministry of Transport (MoT) will prioritize the implementation of three projects with total investment of more than VND8.5 trillion ($374.6 million), including a national key project on expanding the Hau River channel, improving the clearance of road bridges crossing national inland waterways in the southern region, and developing waterway transport in the southern region.

The government has decided to appoint contractors in a series of bidding packages for 12 component projects of the second phase of the Eastern North-South Expressway project in the 2021-2025 period. Construction is to begin shortly and be basically completed in 2025.

Total investment of VND44.3 trillion ($1.9 billion) has been set aside for the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang Expressway, the longest in the Mekong Delta at 188 km and passing through Can Tho city and the three provinces of An Giang, Hau Giang, and Soc Trang. Construction will begin in 2023.

Attended by National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, a breaking ground ceremony for An Phat Holdings’ biodegradable plastic factory was held on February 9 at the Nam Dinh Vu Industrial Park in northern Hai Phong city. It is the first green material factory in Southeast Asia and has a capacity of 30,000 tons per year, with investment of $120 million.

Ho Chi Minh City’s Ring Road No.3 project stretches for nearly 92 km through the city and neighboring Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Long An provinces, with investment in the first phase standing at nearly VND76 trillion ($3.3 billion). Construction is to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed a decision to establish a State Appraisal Council on February 9, with a pre-feasibility study to be submitted to the National Assembly (NA) at its next meeting, in May.