Work on $412 mln Northwestern Vietnam expressway set to begin in 2024

The northwestern province of Hoa Binh will start construction on a 34-kilometer section of the Hoa Binh-Moc Chau Expressway in 2024, according to local authorities.

However, they have not mentioned a specific time frame for the work to get underway.

The expressway starts in the province’s Da Bac township, Da Bac district and ends in Chieng Yen commune, Van Ho district, Son La province.

The two-lane, 12-meter wide road will enable vehicles to run at a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour.

Of the total investment of VND9,997 billion ($412 million), VND8,243 billion ($339.6 million) will be sourced from the central budget and VND1,754 billion ($72.3 million) from the provincial budget, according to a new decision signed by the provincial chairperson.

In its 2024-2028 first phase, the project will see 30 bridges built – 29 made of reinforced concrete and pre-stressed reinforced concrete, and a large cable-stayed bridge crossing the Hoa Binh hydropower reservoir.

The first phase will also build three tunnels with respective length of 492 meters, 627 meters and 720 meters.

The completed project will set the foundation for completing the Hanoi-Hoa Binh-Son La-Dien Bien Expressway while forming an inter-regional route linking the capital city of Hanoi with the northwestern mountainous provinces of Hoa Binh, Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau.

Vietnam has opened 730 kilometers of new expressways since mid-2021, when the current government was sworn in, raising the total to nearly 1,900 km nationwide.

Another 1,700 km of expressways are under construction. The government has targeted an expressway network of 3,000 km by 2025 and over 5,000 km by 2030.