Vietnam opens two new sections of North-South Expressway
Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport opened two new expressways on Saturday, raising the total length in use on the North-South Expressway network to 280 kilometers out of the planned 654 km.
The Mai Son-National Highway 45 and Dau Giay-Phan Thiet expressways were both built using state budget funding, with VND12.1 trillion ($515.7 million) invested for the first and VND12.58 trillion ($536 million) for the second. Work started in September 2020.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the Dau Giay-Phan Thiet Expressway launch ceremony in Binh Thuan province, while Deputy PM Tran Hong Ha joined the opening ceremony in Thanh Hoa province for the Mai Son-National Highway 45 route.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh joins the April 29, 2023 launching of Dau Giay-Phan Thiet Expressway in Binh Thuan province, south-central Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Youth newspaper.
In the south and south-central region, the Dau Giay-Phan Thiet route, covering 99 km, will help shorten travel times from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s economic powerhouse, to the beach town of Phan Thiet to two hours compared to four or five hours via National Highway 1A.
The new route is also expected to bring more opportunities for tourism, real estate, and other economic fields in Binh Thuan and the region.
A section of Dau Giay-Phan Thiet Expressway. Photo courtesy of the government portal.
Spanning 63 km, Mai Son-National Highway 45 connects the northern province of Ninh Binh with nearby Thanh Hoa province. On the new route, the travel time between Hanoi and Thanh Hoa will be cut to two hours by car compared to three hours previously.
Mai Son-National Highway 45 Expressway. Photo courtesy of the government portal.
As scheduled, two more expressways will open to traffic on May 19: Vinh Hao-Phan Thiet in Binh Thuan and Nha Trang-Cam Lam in Khanh Hoa province, also in the south-central region. Their combined length stretches 157 km.
Next, the Nghi Son-Dien Chau Expressway in the north-central region is set for completion in July, while the National Highway 45-Nghi Son Expressway will be available for use in August. Meanwhile, the My Thuan 2 bridge project spanning the Tien River in the Mekong Delta is set to open in December.
The plans mean that by the end of 2023, nine component projects of the North-South Expressway network (phase one) will have been put into operation.
In addition to the expressway backbone, a series of expressways are under construction towards the goal of 5,000 km by 2030 set by the government.
This year, the government is looking to speed up public investment to support economic growth amid prolonged global economic headwinds, and will focus on key infrastructure projects, among others.
- Related News
- Read More
Challenges loom for Vietnam’s monetary policy in 2026
Vietnam’s ambition to achieve economic growth of over 10% in 2026 is expected to put increasing strain on monetary policy, as authorities juggle the often competing objectives of system liquidity, interest rates, exchange rates, and inflation control.
Banking - Mon, December 8, 2025 | 1:47 pm GMT+7
Vietnam’s rural areas emerge as key retail frontier as middle-class households expected to surge 2.3-fold by 2030: broker
Vietnam’s rural areas, home to over 60% of the population, are emerging as a key growth frontier for retailers as consumers increasingly prioritize product quality and food safety, according to a report by major broker Saigon-Hanoi Securities JSC (SHS).
Economy - Mon, December 8, 2025 | 12:02 pm GMT+7
Challenges loom in connecting southern Vietnam hub HCMC to mega-airport Long Thanh
The need of establishing optimal connectivity between Ho Chi Minh City and Long Thanh International Airport in the neighboring province of Dong Nai has become increasingly urgent. While rail projects have yet to take shape, road travel from the city's center to the planned mega-airport remains time-consuming.
Economy - Mon, December 8, 2025 | 8:45 am GMT+7
VN-Index rises 3.1% in Nov, Finnish fund PYN Elite records -5.8%
Vietnam's benchmark VN-Index, which represents the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), rose 3.1% in November, while PYN Elite, one of the largest foreign funds in the country's stock market, recorded -5.8%. Maggie Yi, Portfolio Team from PYN Elite, explains the figures.
Consulting - Sun, December 7, 2025 | 2:16 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's 11-month credit grows 16.56% to top $690 bln
Total outstanding loans in Vietnam reached over VND18.2 quadrillion ($690.4 billion) in the year to November 27, up 16.56% from end-2024, which was a stronger growth compared to the previous years.
Economy - Sun, December 7, 2025 | 1:57 pm GMT+7
Vietnam’s 11-month FDI disbursement highest in 5 years
Vietnam recorded $23.6 billion in implemented foreign direct investment (FDI) capital in the first 11 months of the year, up 8.9% year-on-year and marking a 5-year record high.
Economy - Sun, December 7, 2025 | 12:25 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's State Capital Investment Corp subsidiary to sell entire Vinamilk stake
SCIC Investment Co. Ltd (SIC), a subsidiary of Vietnam’s State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC), has registered to sell its entire holding in Vinamilk (HoSE: VNM), the country's leading dairy producer.
Companies - Sun, December 7, 2025 | 9:00 am GMT+7
Vietnam's agri major Hoang Anh Gia Lai returns to property sector with $22.5 mln complex project
Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL), chaired by entrepreneur Doan Nguyen Duc, is re-entering the real estate sector with a high-rise trade and residential complex worth over VND591.7 billion ($22.45 million) in Gia Lai province, central Vietnam.
Real Estate - Sun, December 7, 2025 | 8:00 am GMT+7
ThaiBev urged to participate more deeply in Vietnam's sustainable value chains
ThaiBev, the largest beverage maker in Thailand, should engage more deeply in the sustainable value chains in Vietnam instead of merely considering the country a consumption market, said Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien.
Industries - Sat, December 6, 2025 | 4:13 pm GMT+7
Thaco inks deal with Hyundai Rotem to make locomotives, carriages for urban metro, high-speed railway projects
Vietnamese conglomerate Thaco has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem to localize the production of locomotives and carriages for urban metro and high-speed railway projects.
Industries - Sat, December 6, 2025 | 3:53 pm GMT+7
France’s Biocodex signs strategic partnership with Vietnam pharmacy chain Pharmacity
French pharmaceutical group Biocodex has signed a strategic partnership with foreign-invested drugstore chain Pharmacity, located across Vietnam, to expand distribution of its health products in the Southeast Asian country.
Companies - Sat, December 6, 2025 | 3:28 pm GMT+7
KraneShares lists Vietnam stock-focused ETF on New York Stock Exchange
KraneShares, a leading global asset manager, has listed its newly-launched KraneShares Dragon Capital Vietnam Growth Index ETF (Ticker: KPHO) on the New York Stock Exchange, the firm said in a release on Thursday.
Finance - Sat, December 6, 2025 | 12:18 pm GMT+7
Dragon Capital's fund manager DCVFM to register over 31 mln shares on UpCoM
Dragon Capital Vietfund Management JSC (DCVFM), a subsidiary of Vietnam-focused asset manager Dragon Capital Group, plans to register all 31.2 million outstanding shares on the unlisted public companies market (UPCoM).
Finance - Sat, December 6, 2025 | 9:08 am GMT+7
HCMC to commence 5 flagship infrastructure projects
Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s southern economic hub, is preparing to kick off five landmark projects between December 2025 and January 2026 as part of celebrations for the 14th National Party Congress, according to the municipal People’s Committee.
Infrastructure - Sat, December 6, 2025 | 8:59 am GMT+7
Vietnam’s market status upgrade to boost bank stocks as foreign inflows rise
Vietnam’s reclassification to "secondary emerging" market status is expected to attract billions of U.S. dollars from global passive and active funds, raising expectations that banking stocks, which dominate market capitalization and liquidity, will be among the first beneficiaries.
Finance - Fri, December 5, 2025 | 9:20 pm GMT+7
Notification: Shares issuance to pay dividend
The board of directors of Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank) announced the issuance of shares to pay dividends from the remaining profits of 2021, 2022, and the 2009-2016 period.
Companies - Fri, December 5, 2025 | 8:38 pm GMT+7
