The government has allocated VND400 trillion ($16.8 billion) for transport infrastructure projects and the Mekong Delta region will receive investment priority for expressway projects and the Sai Gon - Can Tho express railway line project, according to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Speaking at a meeting with voters in Binh Thuy district in the Mekong Delta’s Can Tho city on May 14, Prime Minister Chinh said the government has negotiated with partners and will give priority to implementing the express railway project. Preparations for construction are now underway.

The project has total investment of nearly $9 billion and is designed to handle passenger trains reaching speeds of 190 km/h and freight trains reaching 120 km/h.

It is expected to help increase links between Ho Chi Minh City and the southern key economic region with Can Tho city, which is considered the key economic hub of the Mekong Delta and the gateway to the Delta region.

Two expressway projects in the Mekong Delta region are also accelerated: the Ho Chi Minh City - Ca Mau Expressway and an expressway connecting Soc Trang, Can Tho, Hau Giang, and An Giang, according to the Prime Minister.