Gov’t approves PPP expressway project linking 2 northern Vietnam border gates

The Vietnamese government has approved the Dong Dang-Tra Linh Expressway project in public-private partnership (PPP) form, linking Tan Thanh and Tra Linh border gates, which border China’s Guangxi province.

Per a decision signed by newly-appointed Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, the project investment is halved from VND47 trillion ($2 billion) in the original draft plan to VND22.69 trillion ($968.5 million), while the length is reduced from 144 to 121 kilometers.

The expressway project linking the two northern provinces of Lang Son (Tan Thanh boder gate) and Cao Bang (Tra Linh border gate) includes two phases.

The first phase construction of VND13.17 trillion ($562 million) is set for the 2020-2025 period, while the second of VND9.52 trillion ($406 million) is after 2025.

For the first phase, the state will provide VND6.58 trillion ($281 million), while the investor VND6.59 trillion (over $281 million).

Deo Ca Group JSC, a leading private corporation in construction and transport, has been researching the project since late 2018 amid the withdrawal of many foreign and domestic investors. In 2021, the firm was assigned by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to implement the project.

Chinh once emphasized the importance of the expressway while working with Cao Bang province in November 2021. He asked the province to check medium-term projects in 2021-2025 and abolish or delay inefficient and non-urgent ones to allocate resources for the expressway project.

The PM added that expressway construction must complete before 2025 to remove bottlenecks in transport, while Cao Bang must process planning tasks to open up new economic drives for itself.

Upon completion of the expressway, the province must focus on key economic sectors of tourism and border economic activities, Chinh requested.