The Yen Bai - Lao Cai section of the Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway will be expanded from two lanes to four to meet increasing transport demand, according to the Ministry of Transport (MoT).

The Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) will mobilize different capital sources to expand the 83-km section to a roadbed width of 24 meters, allowing a speed limit of 100 kph.

Total investment is estimated at VND8.74 trillion ($364 million), with VND5.66 trillion ($236 million) to go to the expansion and the remainder to upgrading the road surface and building three bridges in the Noi Bai - Yen Bai section.

Vehicle numbers have continually been on the rise in the ten years since the 264-km Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway was put into operation, and expansions to the Yen Bai - Lao Cai section have become a pressing need, the MoT said.

The number of vehicles travelling along the expressway rose 27 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2023.

Under the national road network development plan in the 2021-2030 period and vision to 2050, the expressway will be expanded to six lanes.