Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and other representatives at the groundbreaking ceremony of Mai Sơn-National Highway, a section of North-South Expressway, in Thanh Hóa Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

THANH HOÁ  Work on three sections of the Eastern North-South Expressway started on Wednesday.

They include the 63-kilometre Mai Sơn – National Route 45 section between Ninh Bình and Thanh Hóa provinces in the north-central region, the 104-kilometre Vĩnh Hào – Phan Thiết section in the central province of Bình Thuận and the 98-kilometre section between Phan Thiết in Bình Thuận and Dầu Giây in southern Đồng Nai Province.

These projects, with total investment capital of about VNĐ37 trillion (US$1.598 billion), are expected to be put into operation by the end of 2022.

The North-South expressway is a key national project that prioritises investment in the 2017- 2020 period and consists of 11 sub-projects.

The North-South transport corridor, in which the North-South expressway from Lạng Sơn to Cà Mau acts as the “backbone” of the entire transportation system, plays an important role in the economic development of the country.

The North-South expressway goes through 32 provinces and cities, connecting four key economic regions, including two major economic centres - Hà Nội and HCM City.

Particularly, the Hà Nội-HCM City section passes through 20 provinces and cities, affecting 45 per cent of the population and accounting for 52 per cent of the country’s total domestic product. It also has a major impact on seaports and economic zones of the country.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for Mai Sơn-National Highway 45, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc underlined the importance of the project, saying the construction of three sections of the Eastern North-South Expressway in one day (September 30) and five projects in October were significant to the transport sector.

After all these projects are completed, the country would have nearly 2,000km of highway, he said.

“It is difficult for the country to advance without the development of traffic,” Phuc said, emphasising his determination to strive for the best transportation system, meeting the requirements of the country’s industrialisation and modernisation process.

The Prime Minister said it was necessary to build railways, waterways, airways, deep-water ports and subways in big cities. He also mentioned the need to upgrade the out-of-date railway system.

The PM praised efforts paid by relevant ministries and agencies to speed up the progress of site clearance for the project, citing that it has reached over 93 per cent.

The PM requested that the project must meet requirements on ensuring labour safety as well as security and order.

He asked localities to create favourable conditions for construction units and monitor the quality and progress of the projects.

Mai Sơn-National Highway 45 section which stretches over 63km passes through Ninh Bình and Thanh Hóa provinces. The total investment for the project is VNĐ12.1 trillion. It has six lanes and a designed speed of 120km/h.

On the same day, the Ministry of Transport, in co-ordination with the People's Committee of Bình Thuận and Đồng Nai provinces, held groundbreaking ceremonies for the sub-projects of Vĩnh Hảo - Phan Thiết and Phan Thiết – Dầu Giây.

Up to now, more than 1,000 kilometres of expressway has been built in Việt Nam, while an additional 900 kilometres is set to be completed by the end of 2021. 

Việt Nam plans to have at least 2,000 kilometres of expressway during 2021-2025 and, by 2030, the figure would be 5,000 kilometres stretching from the northern province of Lạng Sơn to the southernmost province of Cà Mau. — VNS