Vietnam seeks to complete 50 big transport infrastructure projects in 2025

Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport aims to break the ground for 14 infrastructure projects under its direct management and complete 50 others in 2025, says Minister Tran Hong Minh.

Among the 50 projects to be completed in 2025 are those under the North-South Expressway eastern section project, part of the government’s plan to put 3,000 km of expressways into operation by the end of 2025, Minh told a conference on Monday. The country currently has 2,021 km of expressways.

Another giant project, Long Thanh International Airport, will basically be completed in the year, he added.

The VND336.63 trillion ($14.12 billion) airport in Dong Nai province, about 40 km east of Ho Chi Minh City, will be the nation’s biggest, helping reduce overload at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC.

In the first and second quarters of 2025, the ministry will break the ground for the Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway expansion and upgrading project, and others including the HCMC-Long Thanh, Cam Lo-La Son, La Son-Tuy Loan, Cho Moi-Bac Kan, and My An-Cao Lanh phase 1.

Regarding railways, it will focus on making feasibility studies for the North-South high speed railway project.

The National Assembly, the country's highest legislative body, on November 30 okayed the government's North-South high-speed railway proposal. Accordingly, the route is estimated to cost VND1,700 trillion ($67 billion), using public investment capital. The expected expenditure is equivalent to nearly 15.6% of Vietnam's 2023 GDP ($430 billion).

It will run 1,541 km through 20 provinces and cities with a designed speed of 350 km/hour, starting at Ngoc Hoi Station in Hanoi and ending at Thu Thiem Station in HCMC. Construction kickoff is scheduled for 2027 and competition for 2035.

Minh said his ministry would also speed up the implementation of detailed planning for railway routes Hanoi-Dong Dang and Hai Phong-Ha Long-Mong Cai in 2025. It will make research on important national routes HCMC-Can Tho, Bien Hoa-Vung Tau, and Long Thanh-Thu Thiem.

Procedures are expected to be fulfilled for the construction of the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong railway project to commence by the end of 2025.

Raiway projects which have been put on hold or are behind the schedule will be implemented in that year to prevent wastefulness, especially the Hanoi-Yen Vien-Pha Lai-Cai Lan project and the project to modernize the Railway Operations Center (OCC).

In 2025, the transport ministry is likely to be allocated VND87,000 billion ($3.41 billion), according to Minister Minh. The figure in 2024 is VND75,481 billion. It is estimated that the ministry will have disbursed VND60,200 billion by the end of December.