Illustrative image (Source: vnexpress.net)

Hanoi (VNA) – Leaders of six provinces recently satdown with relevant ministers to talk about the construction of a coastalhighway route, the detailed plan for which was approved in 2010.

The 550-kilometre highway will traverse the northern port city of Hai Phong,Quang Ninh, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces.

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, said that without such aroute, the six cities won’t be able to connect, wasting potential developmentopportunities.

Dung said the ministry has received investment plans from all six provinces,but each differs on the scale, direction, mechanism and resources for theroute. Meanwhile, it is necessary to unify the direction, scale andimportance of connecting with each other to promote effectiveness, he said.

While Nam Dinh wants to prioritise building a highway, other provinces preferthe coastal plan.

“It has been suggested that for some sections we can build highways, and forothers we could build coastal roads. But the important thing is that there mustbe a way to connect these routes,” Dung said.

“We can’t just base the design of the traffic network on current needs, but wehave to think about the bigger picture for the development of the whole region,the whole country. We have learned our lessons: due to short-term visions wehave faced the need to upgrade and expand traffic projects, and to makeconnecting routes. We have paid the price, that’s why we should avoid suchmistakes this time,” he said, adding that provinces should be united in thedevelopment of the whole region rather than just for their locality.

Specifically, Quang Ninh province will deploy the 88-kilometer-long Ha Long-VanDon route, of which approximately 55 km is planned to be adjacent to the sea inaccordance with coastal road planning. The Van Don-Mong Cai expressway hasbeen proposed by the province to be a public-private partnership project (PPP)and the province has proposed that the central budget support 1.8 billion VND (80million USD) for site clearance. 

Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh provinces have proposed that the Prime Minister approvethe policy of investing in coastal highways through Ninh Binh and Nam Dinh inthe form of PPP.

Thanh Hoa province also asked the Government to approve its route section inthe form of PPP with a length of 61 km, and total investment of 7.5 trillionVND (330 million USD).

Along with coastal road planning, in March 2016, the Prime Minister approvedthe development plan for Vietnam’s expressway network to 2020 with a vision to 2030.

After these two plans, localities began to propose their own ideas for theconstruction of the sections in their areas. 

"Hopefully in the next 3-4 years, we will build this road and create abreakthrough for the Red River Delta provinces," said Minister of Planningand Investment Nguyen Chi Dung.

The project is scheduled to be completed by 2020, except for some sections thatwill pass through Thai Binh and Nam Dinh provinces, which will be completedafter 2020.
The detailed plan was approved in January 2010.

🐷 “Once the route is completed, the burden and pressure on the capital city of Hanoiwill be eased, while we will realise the potential of these areas,” said TruongQuang Nghia, Minister of Transport.-VNA