Urgently mobilize all resources to quickly implement key transportation projects in the Mekong Delta.

On the afternoon of July 13, 2024, in Can Tho City, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held a working session with ministries, agencies, and provinces in the Mekong Delta region to resolve obstacles and discuss solutions to accelerate the progress of key transportation projects in the area.

Currently, the Mekong Delta region is implementing 5 key national transport projects, with 4 out of 5 projects having completed investment procedures and are in the process of construction. Only the Cao Lanh – An Huu Expressway Project (Component 2, managed by Tien Giang province) and the My An – Cao Lanh Expressway Project (South Korean ODA funding, managed by the Ministry of Transport) are still completing procedures and are expected to start construction in early 2025.

According to the Ministry of Transport, land clearance work for expressway projects is basically on schedule: the Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang project has reached 98.9%; the Can Tho – Ca Mau project has reached 99.9%; component 1 of the Cao Lan – An Huu expressway in Dong Thap province has reached 99.7%, component 2 in Tien Giang province has reached 82%; and the Ho Chi Minh Highway project, Rach Soi – Ben Nhat and Go Quao – Vinh Thuan sections passing through Kien Giang province, has reached approximately 18% (construction to commence in March 2024).

According to assessments, although the remaining land clearance volume for expressway projects is not large, if it is not resolved completely by July 2024, it will greatly affect the organization and completion of all projects, especially the Ho Chi Minh Highway project sections from Rach Soi to Ben Nhat and Go Quao to Vinh Thuan. If the entire land area is not handed over before September 30, 2024, the project cannot be completed by December 31, 2025.

According to the requirements of the National Assembly and the Government, two projects must be substantially completed by 2025: the North-South Expressway section from Can Tho to Ca Mau and the Ho Chi Minh Highway section from Rach Soi to Ben Nhat and Go Quao to Vinh Thuan. The Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang project will be substantially completed along its entire length by 2026 and put into operation in 2027, while the Cao Lan - An Huu and My An - Cao Lan projects will be completed in 2027.

To ensure project completion, investors have developed detailed plans and aggressively directed contractors to implement them. However, project progress has not met expectations, mainly due to a shortage of sand for embankment. To date, construction output at the Can Tho – Ca Mau project has reached 34%/5%; at the Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang project: Component Project 1 (DATP1) has reached 20.5%/20.4%, DATP2 has reached 5%/18%, DATP3 has reached 11.9%/40%, and DATP4 has reached 2.3%/10%. The Cao Lan – An Huu project's Component Project 1 has reached 29%/30%, while Component Project 2 has not yet commenced. The Ho Chi Minh Highway project, Rach Soi – Ben Nhat and Go Quao – Vinh Thuan sections, has reached 3.6%/3.9% of the plan…

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh inspects the progress of the Can Tho – Ca Mau expressway project section passing through Hau Giang province (photo: Giao Thong Online newspaper).

In his directive speech, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the importance of key transportation projects currently underway in the Mekong Delta region. To ensure the timely implementation and completion of these projects, especially to meet the demand for construction materials and sand for road embankment, the Prime Minister requested the People's Committees of Tien Giang and Ben Tre provinces to direct relevant departments and agencies to closely coordinate with investors and contractors to complete procedures and bring the mines into operation by the end of August 2024, ensuring sufficient supply and capacity to meet the assigned targets (Tien Giang province: 9.3 million m3, Ben Tre province: 5.4 million m3).

The People's Committee of Vinh Long province is urgently completing the procedures for mining operations and increasing mine capacity to supply the remaining 2 million m3 for the Can Tho - Ca Mau project, to be completed in July 2024. The People's Committee of An Giang province is completing the review and assessment of reserves at mines in the area and implementing procedures to supply sufficient volume for DATP1 (the remaining 3.4 million m3 for the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway), and is urgently coordinating the volume of approximately 1.4 million m3 from 3 mines already allocated to contractors currently operating for the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway to be transferred to the Can Tho - Ca Mau expressway, to be completed in July 2024.

Regarding land clearance, the Prime Minister directed the provinces of Tien Giang, Dong Thap, An Giang, Can Tho, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Ca Mau, and Can Tho City to instruct their departments and localities to accelerate progress to hand over all land for projects by July 2024 to ensure rapid implementation (as it is already one month behind the Prime Minister's requirements). In particular, Kien Giang province needs to complete the procedures and hand over all land for the Ho Chi Minh Highway project sections from Rach Soi to Ben Nhat and Go Quao to Vinh Thuan to the contractor before September 30, 2024, so that construction can be completed by December 31, 2025.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade, EVN, and relevant agencies need to expedite the relocation procedures for high, medium, and low voltage lines that have not yet been moved. The relevant agencies (Ministry of Transport and People's Committees of the provinces) should direct investors and contractors to revise the detailed construction schedule based on the project completion plan, ensuring it aligns with material supply capabilities, mobilizes all resources (human resources, materials, machinery and equipment), adds construction teams, organizes compensatory work to compensate for delays, and strictly controls the quality and progress of each item, ensuring labor safety and environmental hygiene in accordance with regulations.

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