The fact that nearly 500km of expressways were put into operation in 2023 alone partly demonstrates this.
Contractors support each other to reach the finish line early.
In the final days of 2023, in the quiet contemplation of his office after a series of days working alongside laborers to bring the My Thuan - Can Tho expressway to completion, Mr. Cao Dang Hoat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dinh An Group Co., Ltd., couldn't help but ponder as, over the past year, Dinh An and one of its member units recorded a loss of 300 billion VND.
Construction of the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet expressway is underway.
"The losses here are not the fault of the state management agency, nor are they due to the contractor's lack of calculation skills, but rather stem from many objective factors such as geopolitical conflicts and fluctuations in the prices of supplies and materials," Mr. Hoat revealed.
Revenue and profits haven't met expectations, but the chairman's face quickly brightened when he spoke about the Định An projects that had just been completed.
"The most gratifying thing is that Dinh An has completed its assigned tasks on schedule. For example, the My Thuan - Can Tho expressway project was completed one month ahead of schedule; six bridge constructions on the North-South expressway project, Mai Son - National Highway 45 section, were completed before December 31, 2022..."
"Previously, the difficulties at the project made even the most optimistic people doubt that we could reach the finish line by that timeframe," Mr. Hoat shared.
Having been involved in the transportation industry for many years, Mr. Hoat was also impressed by the "sharing of burdens," mutual support, and selflessness among contractors.
Even in the My Thuan 2 bridge project, the implementation process included a cantilevered section connecting the Định An approach road construction with the main bridge, which Trung Nam was responsible for. The construction volume wasn't large, but it required complex techniques.
To meet the deadline for joining the approach road and main bridge in August or September 2023, immediately after completing the cable-stayed main piers, Trung Nam mobilized equipment to support Dinh An in constructing the cantilevered section, even though the contract between the two units had not yet been signed.
At the My Thuan - Can Tho project, despite completing its part of the work a month ahead of schedule, Dinh An provided 15 road rollers (including operators) and 10 four-axle trucks to help contractors speed up the project.
"Previously, in each project, each unit handled its own tasks. Mutual support among contractors was unprecedented. However, in key projects recently, following directives from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Transport , contractors have become a unified force on the construction sites, supporting each other to accelerate progress," shared Colonel Nguyen Tuan Anh, Deputy Commander of the 12th Army Corps and Deputy General Director of Truong Son Construction Corporation.
Accepting losses for the sake of responsibility and honor.
More than three months after the North-South Expressway project, specifically the section from National Highway 45 to Nghi Son, was put into operation, the Deputy Commander of Army Corps 12 still cannot forget the final "battle" when his unit participated in supporting and "rescuing" a contractor's part of the work within the same consortium, meeting the requirement to complete the project by National Day (September 2, 2023).
In late June and early July 2023, a 150-meter section of the road, being prepared for unloading by the subcontractor, experienced structural instability. Finding a solution proved almost impossible. The subcontractor gave up.
As the leading unit in the consortium, Truong Son Construction Corporation mobilized its forces to provide assistance.
By July 15th, less than two months before the deadline, the mass drilling of new soil-cement piles had just begun.
In the cramped site, the contractor had to mobilize four 8-arm drilling rigs simultaneously – the largest drilling rigs currently in Vietnam – to drill 33,500 meters of soil-cement piles, completing the project about a week later (July 23).
After a period of waiting for consolidation, within just about 10 days, the contractor quickly resumed construction on a massive volume of work, from embankment and crushed stone base to asphalt concrete. By August 26th, Truong Son Construction Corporation had completed the road surface construction, ensuring completion by August 29th.
"According to calculations, Trường Sơn spent over 7 billion VND participating in rescuing the subcontractor. For the entire project, the contractor incurred losses of around 40 billion VND compared to the initial bid price. We disregarded the issue of profit, striving for efficiency, honor, and overall progress," said Colonel Nguyễn Tuấn Anh.
According to the head of the Construction Investment Management Department (Ministry of Transport), sharing and mutual support among contractors is the core factor that enabled most expressway projects to be completed in 2023 as required. "This spirit of sharing and overcoming difficulties together is often likened to a timely 'handshake'," he explained.
Working closely with contractors to resolve difficulties.
After two long months working on the My Thuan - Can Tho expressway construction site, Mr. Nguyen The Minh, Deputy Director of the Investment and Construction Management Department, returned to Hanoi with a tanned complexion from the sun and wind.
Having been "on duty" alongside the engineers and workers during the most stressful period, Mr. Minh himself couldn't hold back his tears when watching the footage of their arduous journey on the inauguration day.
Nearly 500km of expressways were put into operation in one year.
In 2023, the Ministry of Transport commenced construction on 26 projects (18 road projects; 2 waterway projects; 3 railway projects; 2 maritime projects and 1 construction project).
Determined to bring the projects to completion, 20 projects were finished this year (17 road projects; 1 maritime project; 2 waterway projects).
Of these, 9 expressway component projects with a total length of 475km have been put into operation, bringing the total length of expressways in operation nationwide to 1,892km.
Putting aside the days of "eating on the go and not getting enough sleep," looking back at the journey so far, according to Mr. Minh, most of the expressway projects that were completed in 2023 had to race against time amidst countless difficulties.
For example, in the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet section of the expressway project, some material quarries were only granted permits to operate at the end of September 2022, just 3 months before the contract deadline.
The situation became more difficult in the final months, as projects raced against time to meet deadlines, requiring 1.5 to 2 times more supplies and materials than usual, a demand that the mine's production capacity could not meet. Regarding traffic safety equipment, at times, reflective signage film was unavailable on the market.
"With the spirit of 'only moving forward, never backward,' there are solutions that, although very costly, have had to be considered and implemented. There is a shortage of embankment materials, and even though the soil for the service road embankment has been stockpiled or completed, it still has to be removed to prioritize the main route," Mr. Minh said.
The contractor is pushing to speed up the process, and the leaders of the Ministry of Transport are also getting involved, directly visiting each supplier to request an increase in grinding time to boost the material supply capacity for the project.
With commercial mines supplying numerous customers, the Ministry's leadership also lobbied for priority for the expressway project. Some mines even required the intervention of local leaders.
When material prices surged, the contract-based price adjustment formula resulted in contractors not receiving enough revenue to cover expenses. The Ministry of Transport instructed the investors, within the framework of legal regulations, to find ways to expedite acceptance testing, payment, and price escalation.
For any materials and components that can be delivered to the construction site and are eligible for advance payment, the maximum advance payment (60-70%) should be provided. Simultaneously, work with suppliers to widen the credit limit, creating favorable conditions for contractors to mobilize construction materials.
"The spirit at the time was that everyone had to get involved. Thanks to that, the difficulties were gradually overcome, and the project was able to be opened to traffic on schedule," Mr. Minh recalled.
Record disbursement of transportation funds.
In 2023, the Ministry of Transport was allocated over 95,000 billion VND (1.7 times more than in 2022), accounting for one-quarter of the development investment expenditure budget, yet it consistently ranked first nationwide in terms of disbursement rate, reaching over 95% for the whole year.
Acknowledging the efforts of the Ministry of Transport and other ministries, sectors, and localities in promoting the development of transport infrastructure, especially expressways, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assessed: "Wherever roads are opened, the space for development opens up… The Ministry of Transport has strived to excellently fulfill its nhiệm vụ, contributing together with the whole country to stabilizing the macroeconomy, controlling inflation, developing infrastructure, and promoting growth."
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