Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on July 21 inspected the construction progress of two major expressway projects in the Mekong Delta in order to remove obstacles that have hindered the progress of these projects.

The Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang expressway spans 188.2 km, runs through four provinces. It is being developed in phases as a four-lane route.

Groundbreaking took place on June 17, 2023, with substantial completion targeted for 2026 and full operation expected by 2027.

PM Chinh examined Package No. 42 of Sub-project 1 under Phase 1, which runs through An Giang province. Contractors reported that the over 16.92km package is scheduled for completion by June 30, 2026.

The PM  urged the acceleration of progress, targeting the technical opening of the section by December 19, 2025.

Meanwhile, the first phase of the Cao Lanh – An Huu expressway spans 27.43km and consists of two sub-projects with a total investment of more than VND7.49 trillion ($286.37 million) sourced from the state budget.

Sub-project 1, 16km long, is managed by the People’s Committee of Dong Thap province and began construction in June 2023, with completion targeted for 2026. Sub-project 2, over 11km long, under the management of the former Tien Giang provincial authority, started on August 12, 2024, and set to be completed in 2027.

At the site, PM Chinh instructed authorities to shorten the construction schedule, aiming to open Sub-project 1 also by December 19 this year, and Sub-project 2 by April 30, 2026.