VĨNH PHÚC — A road in the mountainous Vĩnh Phúc Province has remained under construction for the past six years despite receiving a fund of VNĐ9 billion (US$395,300).

The 1km road was sanctioned to help local residents travel easily to a temple located on top of a hill in Bồ Lý Commune in Tam Đảo District, some 100km northwest of Hà Nội.

The temple was constructed to honour the seven Lỗ brothers who fought against the Mongol enemy in 1258.

It has been accessible only through a bumpy road, which filled with mud every time it rains. In such conditions, commuters take half an hour to reach the temple from the base of the hill.

In February 2012, the People’s Committee of Bồ Lý Commune decided to upgrade the road and planned a two-phase road expansion project, which was funded by Vĩnh Phúc’s People’s Committee, Vietnamnet online newspaper reported.

According to the plan, the first phase involved levelling the road, creating drainage ditches and installing some 200 stone steps, while the entire road would be concretised in the second phase.

But to the surprise of the local people, the road looks pretty much the same after the completion of the first phase. It is still covered with rocks and was inaccessible for motorbikes.

Residents living in adjacent areas have to manually fill the holes on the road caused by landslides and erosion whenever it rains.

“We were so excited when the project started. But now we feel disappointed that nothing has changed,” said a resident of Bồ Lý Commune.

Nguyễn Trọng Dân, chairman of Bồ Lý People’s Committee, attributed the unfinished road to lack of funds.

Some VNĐ7 billion ($307,400), or 78 per cent, of the total funds were spent on the first phase of the project, he said, adding that the second phase could not be implemented with the remaining funds.

“We had requested financial support from the province’s People’s Committee but have not received any,” he said. — VNS