National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ meets workers of the Biên Hòa-Vũng Tàu Expressway project during his visit to Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo An Đăng

BÀ RỊA-VŨNG TÀU — National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ called for high determination to ensure the construction schedule as he visited the Biên Hòa-Vũng Tàu Expressway project on Tuesday. 

The 53km-long route is expected to be finished in 2025 and in operation in 2026. 

Praising Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province’s efforts on the project, the NA Chairman said that the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) would be the advisors regarding capital allocation to ensure the project schedule. 

The Biên Hòa-Vũng Tàu Expressway consists of three sub-projects, with the Ministry of Transport (MoT), the Đồng Nai Provincial People’s Committee and the Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Provincial People’s Committee each in charge of one. 

The route is expected to be put into operation in correlation with the North-South Expressway’s eastern section, Long Thành International Airport and Cái Mép-Thị Vải deep-water seaport to respond to the region’s transport demands and serve as a driving force for the southeastern region’s growth.

The project is entirely funded by public investment, with a total capital of more than VNĐ17 trillion (US$699.3 million), as stated in Resolution 59/2022/QH15.

The section under Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province is approximately 19.5km long. 

On his visit to the project site on Tuesday, NA Chairman Huệ said that Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu must closely coordinate with Đồng Nai Province for the project implementation, especially with regard to land clearance. 

The two localities and the MoT could also send recommendations for the project to the Government or the National Assembly for approval according to their authority, he said, as there were still unallocated land funds for resettlement from the Long Thành Airport project. 

Petrochemical Complex

On the morning of the same day, NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ visited the Southern Petrochemical Complex, a foreign direct investment (FDI) project of Thailand with a total capital of over $5 billion. 

Construction for the project began in February 2018 at Long Sơn Petroleum Industrial Zone. 

The complex is the largest foreign investment in the history of SCG (Siam Cement Group), the sole investor in the project. 

Alongside Dung Quất, Nghi Sơn and Bình Sơn oil refineries, the Southern Petrochemical Complex plays an important role in the development strategy of Việt Nam’s oil and gas industry. 

The project created around 18,000 jobs for Vietnamese workers during the construction process, and is estimated to employ more than 1,000 workers once commercial operation begins in the first quarter of 2024. 

The trial operation was started on December 25, 2023. 

The complex is expected to gradually replace and reduce petrochemical imports, providing materials for local industries and serving as a springboard for the development of Việt Nam’s oil and gas industry, while increasing competitiveness and supporting the development of other businesses such as automobile, electronics and packaging production, as well as other services in the southern key economic region. 

The successful project is also a testament to the strategic partnership between Việt Nam and Thailand, two ASEAN countries that share long-standing relations. — VNS