Part of the 99km Dầu Giây-Phan Thiết expressway section opened to traffic on Saturday, reducing travel time between HCM City and Phan Thiết to two hours from the earlier five. VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Both the Dầu Giây-Phan Thiết and Mai Sơn-National Highway No. 45 sections of the North-South Expressway opened to traffic on Saturday (April 29) during the long national holidays.

The 99km four-lane Dầu Giây-Phan Thiết expressway reduces the travel time from HCM City to Phan Thiết to two hours from five.

It will be widened to six lanes when the maximum speed will go up from 80km per hour now to 120km.

Costing VNĐ12.5 trillion (US$532.75 million) to build, it goes through Đồng Nai and Bình Thuận provinces and links with the HCM City – Long Thành – Dầu Giây expressway between HCM City and Đồng Nai Province.

On the same day, the 63.4km VNĐ12 trillion ($511.44 million) Mai Sơn-National Highway 45 section between Ninh Bình and Thanh Hóa northern provinces also opened to traffic. 

In the initial phase, it has four lanes and allows vehicles to travel at a maximum of 80km per hour.

Once fully completed, it will have six lanes and allow a maximum speed of 120km. 

Speaking at the opening ceremony in Bình Thuận Province, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính said both sections play a significant role in the country’s socio-economic development. 

He spoke highly of the efforts made by the construction and project management units and others to get the sections ready ahead of some of the country’s major holidays like the Hùng Kings Commemoration, Reunification Day and International Workers’ Day.

He ordered the provinces through which the highway sections pass to continue providing support to families affected by the works.

North-South expressway

Deputy Minister of Transport Lê Đình Thọ said his ministry has instructed relevant agencies to open the Vĩnh Hảo-Phan Thiết section (101km) and the Nha Trang-Cam Lâm section (49km) of the expressway on May 19.

Other sections are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. 

Among key national projects, the North-South Expressway, when completed, will run all the way from the northern border province of Lạng Sơn to the southernmost province of Cà Mau.

It goes through 32 provinces and cities, connecting four key economic regions, including two major economic hubs - Hà Nội and HCM City. — VNS 

Part of the 63.4km Mai Sơn-National Highway 45 expressway section connecting Ninh Bình and Thanh Hóa provinces also opened to traffic on Saturday. VNA/VNS Photo