Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the inauguration ceremony of the 4 projects (Photo: VOV)

The four projects, with a total investment of nearly 775 million USD, are the final key projects completed under the transport sector plan for 2023.

Key national projects

All four projects are a driving force for local, regional, and national economic development. The simultaneous inauguration of the four projects is a clear demonstration of the determination of the government and the transportation sector to create breakthroughs in infrastructure development.

The Dien Bien Airport expansion, begun on January 22, 2022, was one of several projects to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory in 1954. As the only airport in Vietnam’s 6 northwestern border provinces, Dien Bien airport connects the northwestern region with countries in the Mekong sub-region under an ASEAN agreement on cooperation expansion.

At the inauguration of the expanded Dien Bien airport (Photo: VOV)

The My Thuan-Can Tho expressway and the My Thuan 2 bridge are the final components of the North-South Expressway project, which spans the 120 km from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho. These two projects form a modern transportation corridor across the Mekong Delta to meet the socio-economic development requirements of Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, and other southwestern provinces.

Lu Quang Ngoi, Chairman of the Vinh Long provincial People's Committee, said: "The My Thuan-Can Tho expressway will make travel, transportation, and production easier and faster, and will contribute to the development of the region."

My Thuan 2 bridge is inaugurated (Photo: VOV)

The inauguration of the My Thuan 2 bridge demonstrates the Vietnamese people’s will,  courage, intelligence, and ambition.

At the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said: "My Thuan 1 bridge was designed and constructed mostly by foreigners, but Vietnamese people were engaged in every step of the My Thuan 2 bridge. This shows that we have matured, grown stronger, and can do difficult things ourselves."

Big resource allocations for transportation infrastructure

The Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress emphasizes the need to improve infrastructure, one of three breakthroughs in expanding the highway network to promote socio-economic development. According to the Ministry of Transport, expressway development projects have improved dramatically.

Since the 13th National Party Congress, Vietnam has put into operation 730 km of new expressways, extending the highway system in Vietnam to 1,900 km, and another 1,700 km of highways connecting the North-South and East-West axis are under construction. Vietnam is on track to surpass the goal set by the 13th National Party Congress, which is to build 3,000 km of highways by 2025 and 5,000 km of highways by 2030.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh says Vietnam always devotes major resources and policies to focused transportation infrastructure development.

"Public investment is a driving force of growth. We are promoting public investment in key transportation projects to boost national growth, create new development space for production and business, and generate jobs," said the Prime Minister.

Vietnam is realizing one of the three breakthroughs of its Socio-Economic Development Strategy for the 2021-2030 period by simultaneously inaugurating 4 important transportation projects.