Transport ministry plans $205 mln investment in Mekong Delta roads

The Ministry of Transport has approved two major road projects in the Mekong Delta, with a total investment of nearly VND4,900 billion ($205 million) from the state budget, to bolster regional connectivity.

The ministry has okayed the VND950 billion ($39.78 million) upgrade project of the 29-kilometer Cao Lanh-Lo Te route that connects Dong Thap province with Can Tho city.

The project will upgrade the road surface, set up a separate lane for motorbikes, and build 29 connecting bridges to the road.

The Cao Lanh-Lo Te section is part of the 80-kilometer Cao Lanh-Lo Te-Rach Soi route, which connects Dong Thap, Can Tho, and Kien Giang province.

It is also part of N2 Highway, one of three road infrastructure axises of the southern region, which links Chon Thanh district of Binh Phuoc province, Rach Soi ward of Kien Giang province, and Ca Mau province.

The transport ministry has also submitted to the Prime Minister the feasibility study of the Rach Soi-Ben Nhat and Go Quao-Vinh Thuan sections on Ho Chi Minh Highway, passing through Kien Giang and Bac Lieu provinces.

The 52-kilometer project has an investment of VND3,904 billion ($163.5 million). It would conduct site clearance and resident resettlement in 2023-2023, begin construction in 2023, and complete in 2025.

The project will feature 26 bridges, of which three cross major rivers in the area. The road is the shortest connecting National Highway 61 to Rach Gia town of Kien Giang province and Vi Thanh town of Hau Giang province, and National Highway 63 to Vinh Thuan district of Kien Giang province, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau province.

The road system in the southern region is underdeveloped, said lawmaker Truong Trong Nghia at a National Assembly session in June. He noted the country has 1,160 kilometers of expressways but only 100 kilometers in the south.

In reply, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The said the government aims to build 5,000 kilometers of expressways in the region.

The Mekong Delta comprises Can Tho, a centrally-administered city, and the 12 provinces of An Giang, Dong Thap, Long An, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Hau Giang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and Kien Giang.

As one of the largest and most fertile deltas in Southeast Asia and the world, the delta is Vietnam’s biggest food, fisheries and fruit supplier. It holds 54% of the country’s rice output, 90% of rice exports, 70% of seafood output and 60% of fruit output.