The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta in general and An Giang province inparticular have favourable conditions to develop waterway transportsystems that will boost commerce and ease road traffic congestion intandem.
The statement was made by experts at aseminar on "Management of Transport Infrastructure Development in theCuu Long ( Mekong ) Delta" held in Can Tho City.
Acoastline that is more than 700km long as well as numerous canals andrivers that crisscross each other make the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta anideal location to develop an efficient waterway transport system,according to experts.
Doan Canh Hoan, an expertfrom the Ministry of Transport, said that An Giang province was one ofthe Delta provinces that can develop roadway and waterway networks whilepromoting agriculture and aquaculture.
The provincehas more than 2,400km of waterways including rivers and canals that donot only form a huge aquacultural resource, but also brings in largeamounts of silt annually from upstream areas, providing fertile soil foragricultural development.
He said the province's roadway network covers 3,424km with 1,200 bridges that span its rivers and canals.
The main hurdle facing the delta in developing its road and waterwaytransport systems was the lack of investment that must be raised at homeand abroad, speakers agreed at the seminar.
Relevant agencies have estimated that a fund of 100 trillion VND (nearly5 billion USD) would be needed by 2015 (with a vision to 2020) todevelop the transport system in the delta's 13 provinces.
The delta comprises the provinces of An Giang, Long An, Tien Giang,Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Dong Thap, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang,Ben Tre, Kien Giang, and Hau Giang.
Hoan said thatthe delta plans, over the next decade, to continue developinghigh-standard inland waterway routes, invest in seaports to enable largevessels to enter the region, upgrade the Ca Mau Airport and put thePhu Quoc Airport into service.
Pham DinhCuong, director of the Public Asset Management under the Ministry ofFinance, said the Cuu Long ( Mekong ) Delta aimed to meet the demand forpassenger and cargo transport by 2020, offering good quality ataffordable prices. By 2030, the region would be able to satisfyinternational standard transport needs and services, he added.
In fact, by 2030, a smooth and safe transport system with highconnectivity would have been developed in the delta, he said.
Other transportation targets for the region included the completion offive main overland routes – the National Highway 1A, N1 and N2, acoastal route, and the HCM City-Can Tho Expressway, he said.
The region would also strive, by then, to finish the construction ofbig bridges like Vam Cong, Cao Lanh, Co Chien and Nam Can, and haveroads linking all its communes.
Earlier, on July 6,the Project Management Unit of Southern Inland Waterways (PMU S.I.Waterways) inked three contracts with successful bidders for the WorldBank-backed Cuu Long ( Mekong ) Delta Transport InfrastructureDevelopment Project.
A World Bank loan and a grantfrom the Australian government through its development aid organisation,AusAID, fund the 312 million USD project, also called WB5.
The project aims to improve traffic system in the Cuu Long ( Mekong )Delta region, minimise traffic jams on main roads and waterways, reducetransportation costs between production areas and consumer markets, andsupport hunger eradication and poverty reduction efforts in the region.
It will dredge canals, strengthen canal banks, and build frontage roads and bridges.
The three winning contractors are: Uniconsult Consulting ( Germany );Halla Engineering-&Construction Corporation ( Korea ); and a JointVenture between Khanh Giang ( Vietnam ) &Dredging International AsiaPacific ( Singapore )./.
The statement was made by experts at aseminar on "Management of Transport Infrastructure Development in theCuu Long ( Mekong ) Delta" held in Can Tho City.
Acoastline that is more than 700km long as well as numerous canals andrivers that crisscross each other make the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta anideal location to develop an efficient waterway transport system,according to experts.
Doan Canh Hoan, an expertfrom the Ministry of Transport, said that An Giang province was one ofthe Delta provinces that can develop roadway and waterway networks whilepromoting agriculture and aquaculture.
The provincehas more than 2,400km of waterways including rivers and canals that donot only form a huge aquacultural resource, but also brings in largeamounts of silt annually from upstream areas, providing fertile soil foragricultural development.
He said the province's roadway network covers 3,424km with 1,200 bridges that span its rivers and canals.
The main hurdle facing the delta in developing its road and waterwaytransport systems was the lack of investment that must be raised at homeand abroad, speakers agreed at the seminar.
Relevant agencies have estimated that a fund of 100 trillion VND (nearly5 billion USD) would be needed by 2015 (with a vision to 2020) todevelop the transport system in the delta's 13 provinces.
The delta comprises the provinces of An Giang, Long An, Tien Giang,Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Dong Thap, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang,Ben Tre, Kien Giang, and Hau Giang.
Hoan said thatthe delta plans, over the next decade, to continue developinghigh-standard inland waterway routes, invest in seaports to enable largevessels to enter the region, upgrade the Ca Mau Airport and put thePhu Quoc Airport into service.
Pham DinhCuong, director of the Public Asset Management under the Ministry ofFinance, said the Cuu Long ( Mekong ) Delta aimed to meet the demand forpassenger and cargo transport by 2020, offering good quality ataffordable prices. By 2030, the region would be able to satisfyinternational standard transport needs and services, he added.
In fact, by 2030, a smooth and safe transport system with highconnectivity would have been developed in the delta, he said.
Other transportation targets for the region included the completion offive main overland routes – the National Highway 1A, N1 and N2, acoastal route, and the HCM City-Can Tho Expressway, he said.
The region would also strive, by then, to finish the construction ofbig bridges like Vam Cong, Cao Lanh, Co Chien and Nam Can, and haveroads linking all its communes.
Earlier, on July 6,the Project Management Unit of Southern Inland Waterways (PMU S.I.Waterways) inked three contracts with successful bidders for the WorldBank-backed Cuu Long ( Mekong ) Delta Transport InfrastructureDevelopment Project.
A World Bank loan and a grantfrom the Australian government through its development aid organisation,AusAID, fund the 312 million USD project, also called WB5.
The project aims to improve traffic system in the Cuu Long ( Mekong )Delta region, minimise traffic jams on main roads and waterways, reducetransportation costs between production areas and consumer markets, andsupport hunger eradication and poverty reduction efforts in the region.
It will dredge canals, strengthen canal banks, and build frontage roads and bridges.
The three winning contractors are: Uniconsult Consulting ( Germany );Halla Engineering-&Construction Corporation ( Korea ); and a JointVenture between Khanh Giang ( Vietnam ) &Dredging International AsiaPacific ( Singapore )./.
