Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính inspects the progress of the construction of the Ring Road 4 – Capital Region section passing through Bắc Ninh Province. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

BẮC NINH — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has instructed Bắc Ninh Province to mobilise all available resources to complete land clearance by the end of September for the construction of the Ring Road 4 – Capital Region section passing through the province.

During an inspection of key projects in the province as part of his working visit to Bắc Ninh on Sunday, PM Chính reminded Bắc Ninh to coordinate with neighbouring provinces such as Bắc Giang and Lạng Sơn to ensure sufficient supply of construction materials for the project.

The Ring Road 4 – Capital Region project spans 112 kilometres, running through Hà Nội, Hưng Yên and Bắc Ninh. It was officially launched on June 25, 2024.

The section passing through Bắc Ninh covers 35.3 kilometres, crossing three districts of Thuận Thành, Quế Võ, Gia Bình and Bắc Ninh City. Of this, the ring road itself is approximately 25.6 kilometres long. The total investment for the project is over VNĐ5.2 trillion (US$214.1 million).

As of now, Bắc Ninh has approved and completed nearly 98 per cent of the land clearance, with the remaining areas primarily residential land. The relocation of technical infrastructure works is progressing, with completion aimed for early 2025.

The province is implementing nine out of 11 resettlement areas, aiming to relocate affected households starting in December 2024 and to complete this process by the first quarter of 2025.

Construction is in full swing, with equipment, machinery, personnel and materials fully deployed on the cleared land. Currently, there are 24 construction sites operating simultaneously along the entire route, utilising over 100 types of machinery and vehicles and nearly 300 workers, machine operators and engineers.

The goal is to complete the project by 2025.

While presenting gifts to workers at package 14, PM Chính said the project's completion would create new development opportunities, including industrial zones, urban areas and commercial services, as well as facilitate trade, reduce production and logistics costs and promote cultural and tourism exchanges.

He also emphasised the need not to split construction packages into smaller contracts, while encouraging local businesses to participate in appropriate project components, thereby creating jobs and helping local enterprises grow.

In addition to accelerating construction progress and ensuring quality, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of conducting inspections and completing auxiliary works in parallel so that the project, once inaugurated, can be efficiently and fully operational.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính presents gifts to students at Cát Tường Pre-school in the Thống Nhất social housing project in Bắc Ninh City. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

Also on the same day, PM Chính visited the Thống Nhất social housing project in Bắc Ninh City.

The Thống Nhất social housing project, developed by Thống Nhất Investment and Development Joint Stock Company, spans 1.58 hectares with a total investment of approximately VNĐ800 billion ($32.5 million). The project includes four completed buildings, providing 1,080 apartments to accommodate around 4,000 people.

This project received financing from the VNĐ120 trillion credit package for social housing development, with 100 per cent of the loan disbursed and procedures completed within about one month.

A total of 804 apartments have been sold, with about 430 households benefiting from preferential loans through the Bank for Social Policies, with an average loan of VNĐ580 million ($23,570) per household, totalling VNĐ250billion disbursed.

In addition to this project, the province is implementing 54 social housing projects for low-income residents and workers in industrial zones. Of these, 29 projects have been completed, partially completed or are under construction, while 25 others are in the preparation phase for construction.

The total land area for these projects is around 173 hectares, and once completed, they will provide approximately 7.1 million square metres of floor space, offering more than 77,000 apartments for about 231,000 people.

During his visit to the residents of the Thống Nhất social housing project, PM Chính expressed his satisfaction with the well-designed apartments and commended Bắc Ninh for its efforts in implementing social housing projects.

The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of ensuring adequate infrastructure, including transportation, electricity, water, healthcare, education, sanitation and environmental conditions, similar to those provided in commercial housing projects.

He urged Bắc Ninh to build on its achievements and contribute effectively to the national plan to develop at least 1 million social housing units from 2021 to 2030. — VNS