At the ninth session of the Steering Committee for Key National Transport Projects, held both in-person and online on February 16 and involving 46 provinces and centrally-run cities that projects pass through, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed relevant agencies to accelerate the construction of key projects during 2024 to create new development space, according to a report from the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

Prime Minister Chinh hailed localities, sectors, investors, and contractors for their efforts in speeding up project implementation, but several, he added, have fallen behind schedule due to prolonged investment procedures, sluggish site clearance, and loose coordination between quarters, among other factors.

He therefore requested that meeting participants evaluate the situation and propose measures to speed up construction progress while ensuring quality, workforce safety, and environmental standards, remove bottlenecks in the disbursement of official development assistance (ODA), and study the use of sea-sand in construction.

The Prime Minister also placed emphasis on the significance of public investment for national development, highlighting that some VND657 trillion ($26.82 billion) in public investment capital will be allocated in 2024, most of which is for transport infrastructure development.

Once transport projects are put into operation, they help reduce logistics costs and improve the competitive edge of enterprises, while giving a boost to the development of industry, services, and urban areas, he said.

Vietnam currently has 34 major transport projects and 86 component projects being implemented in 46 cities and provinces. These include five railway projects, two airport projects, and various highways and ring roads.