The Bac Giang - Lang Son expressway is about to put an end to its… dead-end state.

According to the plan, on April 20th, the People's Committee of Lang Son province, together with the investor, will hold the groundbreaking ceremony for the Huu Nghi Border Gate - Chi Lang expressway PPP project, gradually ending the "unfinished" expressway section of the Bac Giang - Lang Son route.

Perspective view of the Huu Nghi Border Gate - Chi Lang expressway.

After nearly five years of operation, the Bac Giang - Lang Son expressway has become known as the most unusual route in Vietnam, earning the nickname "the dead-end expressway." Although the project is named the Bac Giang - Lang Son expressway, the route has actually only been constructed from Bac Giang City to Chi Lang District (Lang Son Province).

Hanoi - Huu Nghi Border Gate Expressway Opened

Specifically, because it is still about 30 km from Lang Son City, vehicles, after traveling over 64 km on the Bac Giang - Lang Son expressway, have to "turn" onto National Highway 1 to travel to the city and border gates. This interrupted route has reduced the investment efficiency of the Bac Giang - Lang Son section because it is difficult to attract vehicles.

However, this "dead-end highway" situation will soon come to an end because the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang border gate expressway BOT project is about to begin construction in the next few days. Upon completion, the project will fully connect the entire expressway route from Hanoi to Lang Son City, extending all the way to the Huu Nghi, Tan Thanh, and Coc Nam border gates.

In particular, along with the Dong Dang - Tra Linh PPP Project (currently under construction and expected to be completed in 2026), the investment in the construction of the Huu Nghi Border Gate - Chi Lang Expressway Project will create a synchronized connection along the entire route from Hanoi to Cao Bang.

According to Mr. Luong Ngoc Quynh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Lang Son province, the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang section is the first part of the North-South Expressway in the East, but it is the last section to be constructed.

“When the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang border gate expressway is completed, it will seamlessly connect Lang Son with Bac Giang and Hanoi, linking the three border gates of Tan Thanh, Coc Nam, and Huu Nghi. Investing in this project will help Lang Son province develop its socio-economic aspects, especially in the circulation of goods and serving import and export activities,” said Mr. Luong Ngoc Quynh.

Currently, Lang Son has the largest number of land border crossings connecting with China in the country. It is estimated that an average of 1,000 vehicles carrying import and export goods pass through the border crossings in Lang Son province every day. The opening of the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang expressway helps vehicles shorten travel distances, reduce transit time, and thus lower costs for transportation businesses.

A breakthrough with the PPP++ model.

Previously, after a long period of organizing the selection of investors through bidding, on April 11, 2024, the People's Committee of Lang Son province issued a decision approving the results of the selection of investors to implement the Huu Nghi Border Gate - Chi Lang Expressway BOT project under the BOT form. The winning investor is the consortium of Deo Ca Construction Joint Stock Company - Deo Ca Group Joint Stock Company - Construction Company 568 Joint Stock Company - Lizen Joint Stock Company.

Notably, the list of selected consortiums of investors to implement the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang border gate expressway BOT project continues to include Deo Ca investor, who successfully participated in "rescuing" the Bac Giang - Lang Son expressway.

In just over two years under the management of the new investor, all components of the Bac Giang - Lang Son BOT Project have been completed, especially the Bac Giang - Lang Son expressway section, which was finished three months ahead of schedule.

Besides the Bac Giang - Lang Son BOT expressway project, Deo Ca also has experience successfully rescuing another equally difficult and complex project, the Trung Luong - My Thuan expressway. Notably, in recent times, this company has also innovatively applied breakthrough solutions in capital mobilization to implement PPP infrastructure projects in two large-scale expressway projects: Cam Lam - Vinh Hao with the PPP+ model and Dong Dang - Tra Linh with the more advanced PPP++ model.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, General Director of Deo Ca Group, said that based on the successful implementation experience on the Cam Lam - Vinh Hao and Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressways, Deo Ca Group will continue to apply the PPP++ model to the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang expressway border gate BOT project.

To leverage the combined efforts of other businesses participating in the project, Deo Ca Group has established three levels of investor participation, each with its own rights and obligations: "steadfast" investors (participating from the project's investment preparation phase), "bridge" investors, and "potential" investors (participating from the project implementation phase).

"This model aims to diversify sources of capital mobilization, optimize organizational management, link contractor responsibility to the entire project implementation process, and ultimately contribute to improving project efficiency," Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh informed.

The Huu Nghi - Chi Lang border gate expressway, approximately 43km long, is designed with 6 lanes for motorized vehicles and a roadbed width of 32.25m; the connecting route between Tan Thanh and Coc Nam border gates, approximately 17km long, is designed with 4 lanes for motorized vehicles and a roadbed width of 22m. In the phased construction, the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang section will be built with 4 lanes and a roadbed width of 17m; the connecting section between Tan Thanh and Coc Nam border gates will be built with 2 lanes and a roadbed width of 14.5m.