Removing infrastructure bottlenecks will enable double-digit growth in the Southeast region.

That was the goal set by the Prime Minister for the socio -economic development of the Southeast region at the 5th meeting of the Regional Coordination Council on the afternoon of December 2nd.

Attracting high levels of investment but experiencing lower-than-average growth.

On the afternoon of December 2nd, in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Chairman of the Southeast Region Coordination Council, chaired the 5th meeting of the Council. The main focus of this meeting was the goal and tasks of achieving double-digit growth for the 2025-2030 period, along with the opportunities, challenges, and solutions.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivered a speech at the conference.

In his opening remarks at the conference, the Prime Minister suggested several topics for discussion and requested that ministries, departments, and localities review the contents of the 4th conference to draw lessons learned.

The Prime Minister requested that all levels, sectors, and localities adopt innovative and breakthrough thinking with high determination, great effort, decisive, flexible, and effective action, embodying the spirit of "daring to think, daring to act, and daring to innovate for the common good."

At the conference, the Ministry of Planning and Investment announced that in 2024, the economic growth of the Southeast region is estimated at 6.38%, lower than the national average (6.8-7%) and ranking 4th among the 6 economic regions. Nevertheless, the Southeast region continues to lead the country in the number of projects and total foreign direct investment. As of October 31st, it had attracted 21,174 projects and over 189 billion USD in investment.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment also pointed out several limitations of the region, including the slow implementation of large projects; traffic congestion and flooding remain challenges; and the disbursement of public investment has not met the required schedule. Industry, one of the three important pillars of the region, lacks sustainable development, has low added value, is not rationally allocated, and is heavily dependent on foreign-invested enterprises.

Overview of the 5th Southeast Region Conference.

Construction of Long Thanh Airport has accelerated, but the infrastructure connecting Long Thanh Airport and seaports is lagging behind, and a diverse logistics ecosystem has yet to be formed. Project implementation still faces difficulties, especially regarding the supply of sand and fill materials. Land handover is also slow, affecting the overall progress of the projects.

Long Thanh Airport has been identified as a new growth hub for the Southeast region of Vietnam.

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, proposed that the Prime Minister and relevant ministries and agencies continue to provide mechanisms and policies to support localities. In particular, he requested the early construction of the Bien Hoa - Cai Mep railway line in the 2026-2030 period.

He also proposed supporting the local authorities in promptly completing the research project and establishing a free trade zone linked to the seaport in the Cai Mep Ha area; and developing a renewable energy center and an offshore wind power center as directed by the Prime Minister.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, expressed his desire to implement a comprehensive upgrade of transportation infrastructure connecting to seaports and Long Thanh airport.

Also at the conference, Mr. Vo Tan Duc, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Nai province, presented that the locality has made efforts to devise solutions for allocating investment in transportation infrastructure, but resources remain limited. Furthermore, due to the simultaneous implementation of many inter-regional projects, balancing the budget is difficult. He stated that the locality is currently focusing on the construction of Ring Road 4, proactively postponing some intra-provincial projects for later implementation.

Mr. Vo Tan Duc, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Nai province, said that resources will be focused on the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 4.

Local authorities need to provide materials for the projects.

At the conference, Minister of Transport Tran Hong Minh acknowledged that in the Southeast region, Long Thanh Airport is currently considered a major construction site. "This is also seen as the center of inter-regional transportation projects," he said.

Accordingly, Long Thanh Airport is adjacent to National Highway 1 and the Long Thanh - Dau Giay - Phan Thiet - Nha Trang expressway; in 2026, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway will be operational, providing seamless connectivity with the airport. The Dau Giay - Tan Phu and Tan Phu - Lien Khuong expressways are also completing the necessary procedures and will be invested in under the PPP model, with construction scheduled to begin in 2025.

The Minister of Transport said that attention is currently being paid to developing transportation infrastructure connecting within and between regions to Long Thanh Airport.

In addition, the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 is currently under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2025; Ring Road 4 is also finalizing procedures for construction before 2030.

The biggest obstacle, according to the Minister, is the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh expressway, which currently only has two lanes in each direction, making it overloaded and difficult to meet the demand for passenger and cargo transport when Long Thanh airport becomes operational. The project is currently in the planning stage, with a total investment of approximately 15,000 billion VND for the 21km section from Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh. He stated that relevant units are coordinating to resolve the obstacles and expedite the project's implementation.

Many sections of the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway have already taken shape.

Regarding other infrastructure in the region, Minister Tran Hong Minh also acknowledged the important role of Can Gio Port, and stated that the Ministry of Transport has worked with the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on related issues to implement the project.

In addition, urban railway lines and high-speed railways connecting the North and South to Ho Chi Minh City, Long Thanh Airport, etc., are also being studied and implemented. Regarding the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau railway line, the Ministry of Transport has assigned the task of preparing a pre-feasibility study report. The total investment for phase 1 is approximately 83,000 billion VND, and for phase 2 approximately 60,000 billion VND.

The Minister of Transport also requested that localities focus on mechanisms and policies to facilitate projects, land conversion, and land planning. He suggested that localities provide support in terms of materials because the current procedures involve many steps, affecting the progress of many ongoing projects.

The Prime Minister set a target of double-digit growth for the Southeast region and a breakthrough in institutional reform.

Review transportation projects connecting to airports, seaports, etc.

Concluding the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh commended the efforts of the six provinces and cities in the Southeast region, noting that despite facing many difficulties, their economies are still on an upward trend. However, the growth trend is slowing down, and the Prime Minister identified one of the reasons as a bottleneck in infrastructure and transportation connectivity, including the lack of synchronized seaports.

The Prime Minister urged provinces to focus on directing and effectively implementing the goals and plans set for 2024. At the same time, in 2025, priority must still be given to economic growth, striving for double-digit growth.

Regarding investment projects, the Prime Minister requested that land clearance projects be separated from investment projects for smoother implementation. During the land clearance and resettlement process, if there is surplus capital from one project, it can be allocated to other projects. Local authorities need to submit proposals to promptly resolve any obstacles.

In economic development, focus on developing a green economy, a sustainable economy, and a global economy. Strive to train high-quality human resources for various sectors, especially emerging industries.

Regarding the Ring Road 4 project, the Prime Minister stated that the Government has assigned Ho Chi Minh City as the managing agency, and additional policy mechanisms such as bond issuance and resource mobilization are needed. The project will be approved in the first quarter of 2025 and submitted to the National Assembly for consideration of related contents and mechanisms.

Regarding the Can Gio port, the Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Transport to coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to "quickly complete the procedures in December to submit for final resolution."

Regarding the Long Thanh airport project, which is scheduled for completion and operation in 2026, the Prime Minister requested that localities promptly review connecting transportation projects for investment, ensuring that the airport's effectiveness is maximized once it becomes operational.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/go-diem-nghen-ha-tang-de-vung-dong-nam-bo-tang-truong-hai-con-so-192241202152149736.htm