A section of the trans-Việt Nam Hồ Chí Minh Expressway in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — A project worth VNĐ3.9 trillion (US$159 million) that will build two sections of the trans-Việt Nam Hồ Chí Minh Expressway project in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces of Bạc Liêu and Kiên Giang has been approved by the Ministry of Transport.

Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà has signed a decision approving the project to build the two sections of nearly 52km along the 2,744km-long Hồ Chí Minh Expressway project.

The project includes more than 45km in Kiên Giang Province and 6.6km in Bạc Liêu Province.

The 11km-long Rạch Sỏi-Bến Nhất section will start in Châu Thành District and end in Giồng Riềng District in Kiên Giang Province.

Meanwhile, the Gò Quao-Vĩnh Thuận section will run from Gò Quao District to Vĩnh Thuận District in Kiên Giang Province, with a length of nearly 41km.

When completed, the four-lane sections will have a designed speed of 80km per hour.

Preliminary total investment for the project is estimated to be VNĐ3.9 trillion sourced from the State budget, including a construction cost of VNĐ2.8 trillion ($114 million).

The project requires land acquisition of 96ha and relocation of more than 180 local households.

Its construction is expected to be completed by 2025.

The project will help complete the transport network, improve transportation capacity, promote the circulation of goods and passenger transportation, reduce transport time and costs, and promote socio-economic development in the two Mekong Delta provinces.

The sections will contribute to gradually completing the entire Hồ Chí Minh Expressway, which passes through 28 provinces and cities in the country from the northern mountainous province of Cao Bằng to the southernmost province of Cà Mau.

The Hồ Chí Minh Expressway project is an important work, having great significance for the economy, national defence-security, hunger eradication, and poverty alleviation.

The Party and State are paying great attention to and allocate resources to implement the project.

The first phase of the Hồ Chí Minh Expressway project began its construction in April 2000, with total estimated investment of VNĐ99.2 trillion ($4.1 billion).

From 2000 to 2011, the project's progress was on track.

However, due to the influence of the global economic crisis, the Government issued a resolution in 2011 that stopped or delayed projects, including component projects of the Hồ Chí Minh Expressway project.

The project was scheduled to open in 2020 and so far nearly 90 per cent of the work has been completed.

The remaining sections of the expressway are under construction or have not yet been allocated capital for implementation. — VNS