Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính at the hybrid meeting on solutions to overcome obstacles and accelerate the implementation of key transport projects. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction with certain localities for asking to return public investment funds meant for key national infrastructure projects, particularly in the transport sector.

As the head of the State Steering Committee for key transport projects, the Prime Minister called on ministries and sectors to learn from these issues, rectify their shortcomings and prevent delays or evasion of responsibility. He said that accelerating the disbursement of public investment, including for the implementation of such critical projects, is crucial to driving economic growth.

His remarks came during the 14th session of the committee, held to review the progress of the key projects and discuss solutions to overcome obstacles and accelerate project implementation. The hybrid meeting was attended by 44 centrally governed cities and provinces.

At the opening of the session, PM Chính noted that the country was currently undertaking 40 major national and transport sector projects, with 92 road, rail and aviation components spanning 48 localities.

On August 18, the central government launched a 500-day campaign to complete 3,000 kilometres of expressways by the end of 2025, aiming to achieve a target of 5,000km of expressways nationwide by 2030, as outlined in the 13th Party Congress.

The Prime Minister acknowledged the limited time left to meet this goal, noting that the workload remained significant.

He asked the State Committee to discuss solutions to address challenges and expedite progress on the project. Key focus areas include finalising investment procedures, securing material sources, expediting land clearance and mobilising human resources and equipment to accelerate construction.

PM Chính also highlighted the damage caused by Typhoon Yagi and its aftermath, which severely impacted the northern region, resulting in an estimated economic loss of around VNĐ40 trillion.

Alongside disaster recovery efforts and the restoration of production and business activities, accelerating public investment disbursement and implementing key transport infrastructure projects would play a vital role in fostering economic growth.

At the 13th session on August 8, the Prime Minister assigned 42 tasks to various ministries, sectors and localities, with a focus on resolving challenges, expediting land clearance and securing construction materials, particularly for key transport projects in the southern region.

To date, 11 tasks have been completed on time, 28 tasks are actively being carried out as part of regular management and operations, one task is not yet due and two tasks have not been completed on time. Despite some delays, several important tasks have been successfully accomplished.

In preparation for investment, HCM City has worked with the provinces of Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu, Đồng Nai, Bình Dương and Long An to report to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister on a proposal to conduct a pre-feasibility study for the HCM City’s Ring Road 4 project. The Prime Minister has tasked the relevant ministries and agencies with addressing the city's recommendations.

Bình Dương Province’s People's Council has revised the investment policy for the HCM City - Thủ Dầu Một - Chơn Thành project. Meanwhile, Cao Bằng Province is collaborating with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to clarify comments on adjusting the investment policy for the Đồng Đăng - Trà Lĩnh expressway project, as directed by the Deputy Prime Minister in charge.

The Ministry of Transport is currently internally reviewing adjustments to the investment policy for the Biên Hòa - Vũng Tàu Expressway and has completed the pre-feasibility study report for the high-speed rail project along the North-South axis and submitted it to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for further appraisal.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Planning and Investment, in coordination with Hà Nội’s People's Committee, has finalised documents to report to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister regarding investment policy adjustments for the Nam Thăng Long - Trần Hưng Đạo urban railway project.

Regarding feasibility study reports, Ninh Bình Province has approved a feasibility study for the Ninh Bình - Hải Phòng Project. Sơn La Province is finalising the feasibility study for the Hòa Bình - Mộc Châu Project and incorporating feedback from construction authorities.

Lâm Đồng Province is directing investors to complete a feasibility study for the Tân Phú - Bảo Lộc project based on appraisal feedback. Lâm Đồng and Bình Dương are currently reviewing the feasibility studies for the Bảo Lộc - Liên Khương and HCM City - Thủ Dầu Một - Chơn Thành projects.

Significant progress has been made in land clearance, but challenges remain, particularly with residential land, making the process of land appraisal and drawing up compensation plans complex. Some localities, such as Đồng Nai, Bình Dương, Khánh Hòa and Lạng Sơn have yet to meet expectations.

In terms of construction materials, projects in the northern and central regions have secured a stable supply to meet construction demands. However, in the southern region, local authorities, investors and contractors are working on procedures for securing material sources, but progress has been slow, affecting construction timelines.

Tiền Giang and Bến Tre provinces are still working on procedures to open new material mines, and Đồng Nai Province is similarly completing procedures for the Biên Hòa - Vũng Tàu Expressway project, though behind the schedule set by the Prime Minister.

In terms of construction progress, the Ministry of Transport has coordinated with localities designated as project owners to review implementation plans, develop detailed timelines and focus on critical tasks to ensure smooth progress.

Most projects with sufficient material supply and favourable land clearance conditions are progressing on schedule. Some component projects are aiming to be completed three to six months ahead of schedule.

However, certain localities are lagging in construction progress, such as Cần Thơ (10 per cent) and Sóc Trăng (5 per cent) for the Châu Đốc - Cần Thơ - Sóc Trăng project, Bắc Ninh (5 per cent) for the Hà Nội Ring Road 4 project, Cao Bằng (2 per cent) for the Đồng Đăng - Trà Lĩnh project and Lạng Sơn, which has only recently begun construction on the Hữu Nghị - Chi Lăng project.

As for the Long Thành International Airport project, the construction of government agency offices is progressing on schedule. The concrete and steel reinforcement work for the air traffic control tower has reached 94 per cent completion, closely following the planned timeline.

For the Nhổn-Hà Nội urban railway project, 297 metres of tunnelling have been excavated and 186 tunnel rings have been installed. The Bến Thành-Suối Tiên urban railway is continuing test runs until November to support the system safety certification process and operational staff training. — VNS