Minister of Construction Trần Hồng Minh addresses the conference. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Along with the commencement and implementation of various transport projects, the goal of completing 3,000km of expressways is also heading in the right direction, said Minister of Construction Trần Hồng Minh.

Speaking at the conference on Monday to evaluate the Ministry of Construction (MoC)’s working results during the first six months this year and deploy key tasks for the remainder of 2025, Minh said that key railway projects such as the north-south high-speed railway were conducted in accordance with the Resolution 68’s direction.

The Lào Cai-Hà Nội-Hải Phòng railway project was urgently completing investment procedures, striving to start construction this year.

“Regarding the upcoming railway project, site clearance and resettlement work needs to be carried out and accelerated soon to meet the scheduled start time,” he said.

Although not an investor of the Long Thành International Airport Project, the MoC worked with the Airports Corporation of Việt Nam (ACV) and construction units to remove difficulties and obstacles.

The entire construction site is focusing its efforts with determination to complete the project this year to celebrate the country’s major events.

Assessing the target of completing 3,000km expressways within this year, there were also good results.

Minister Minh acknowledged that the lowest projects had output of 30-40 per cent. Particularly, among 14 projects managed by the MoC, 10 projects had output of 72-95 per cent and four others had output of 58 per cent to more than 70 per cent.

Directing the work of selecting contractors to construct the north-south expressway's traffic monitoring and control system to be completed soon and put it into public use from the beginning of next year, the minister said that investors and contractors must be aware of their responsibility and take drastic action to complete it according to the required schedule.

Public investment capital disbursement rate had not met expectations, while the disbursement volume was very large, about VNĐ63 trillion (US$2.4 billion), disbursed about VNĐ9 trillion ($344.6 million) per month. The Minister requested concerned units to resolutely and synchronously implement solutions to improve the disbursement efficiency.

Specialised management departments must coordinate to closely monitor progress, especially the projects that will start and be completed this year.

Setting a target of completing at least 100,000 apartments this year, the minister said directors of provincial and municipal departments of construction must advise local authorities on solutions to reach the goal.

According to the MoC’s report, to date, 19 expressway component projects have been finished and the country has put into work a number of sections of six eastern north-south expressway component projects, bringing the total length of expressway put into operation to 2,268km.

Among the total central budget capital plan of VNĐ87.1 trillion ($3.3 billion) assigned by the Prime Minister, by the end of last month, the MoC’s disbursement value was estimated at nearly VNĐ23.8 trillion ($911.5 million), reaching more than 27 per cent of the plan.

Building and perfecting institutions continues to be focused on.

The MoC has urgently reviewed the whole, proposed amendments and supplements to legal documents, in which assigning detailed duty to local authorities associated with the two-tier government organisation. — VNS