Two sections of the Eastern North - South Expressway, Mai Son - National Highway No. 45 and Phan Thiet - Dau Giay, officially opened to traffic on April 29.

The Mai Son - National Highway No. 45 section is 63.37-km long, including 14.35 km in northern Ninh Binh province and 49.02 km in north-central Thanh Hoa province, and has total investment of over VND12 trillion ($511.4 million).

The 99-km-long Phan Thiet - Dau Giay section, connecting south-central Binh Thuan province and southern Dong Nai province, has total investment of more than VND12.5 trillion ($527 million).

It is estimated that the new section cuts two hours from the drive between Ho Chi Minh City and Phan Thiet.

Speaking at the opening ceremony for the Phan Thiet - Dau Giay section in Binh Thuan province, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said developing infrastructure, especially transport infrastructure, is a strategic breakthrough identified by the Party and State.

The development of Vietnam’s transport network, such as roads, railways, inland waterways, and sea and air transport will help create new development space, new industrial parks, new urban areas, and new services, thus contributing to helping the country develop more rapidly and sustainably, he said.

Vietnam targets having 3,000 km and 5,000 km of expressways by 2025 and 2030, respectively.

The Ministry of Transport said it is guiding relevant agencies to speed up construction of remaining sections of the North-South Expressway, and two other sections, Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet and Nha Trang - Cam Lam, are expected to open to traffic on May 19.

Four additional sections are scheduled for completion by the end of the year with a total length of 133 km, while two other sections with a length of 129 km are expected to be completed next year.

Completion of all 12 sub-projects in the North-South Expressway is expected by 2025, according to the ministry.