Upgrading transport infrastructure creates momentum for border economic development

Vinh Xuong international road and waterway border gate is an important gateway for trade between Vietnam, Cambodia and ASEAN countries. However, the connecting transport infrastructure is still limited, becoming a bottleneck hindering trade.

Upgrading National Highway 80B, the section passing through Vinh Xuong commune, is an urgent need to promote border economic development. Photo: MINH HIEN

Upgrading National Highway 80B and Provincial Road 950 meets transportation needs, promotes border trade, ensures national defense and security, and improves people's lives.

Deteriorating infrastructure

National Highway 80B is planned to connect from Sa Dec (Dong Thap) to Vinh Xuong International Border Gate, 120km long, of which the section through An Giang is more than 90km long. This is the main route for container trucks and heavy trucks to transport import and export goods from provinces in the Mekong Delta to the border for export to Cambodia and ASEAN. However, the road surface at the end of the route, the section through Vinh Xuong commune is narrow, many sections are seriously degraded, and do not ensure traffic safety. "We hope that the Central Government and the province will pay attention to upgrading National Highway 80B, the section through Vinh Xuong commune to serve the development of border trade economy", Ms. Vo Thi Lan, residing in Hamlet 2, Vinh Xuong commune, suggested.

Similarly, Provincial Road 950, which is over 11km long, is planned to directly connect Vinh Xuong International Border Gate and Khanh Binh Border Gate, thereby forming a continuous trade corridor, but to date, this route has not been invested in. Vehicles transporting goods from Vinh Xuong International Border Gate by road or waterway to Khanh Binh Border Gate must go around the communes, making the transport distance tens of kilometers longer. This increases logistics costs, reduces the competitiveness of goods and wastes social resources.

Mr. Bui Thai Hoang - Chairman of the People's Committee of Vinh Xuong commune shared: "The road surface of National Highway 80 passing through Vinh Xuong commune is narrow, not meeting the traffic needs of container trucks. This is a major barrier to the development of Vinh Xuong International Border Gate. If there is no early investment in upgrading, the economic potential of the border trade will be difficult to exploit properly."

Based on the above situation, the People's Committee of Vinh Xuong commune has submitted a document to the Provincial People's Committee requesting the Central Government to consider upgrading National Highway 80B to meet the standard of Grade III in the plains, with a roadbed width of 12m and a road surface of 11m; at the same time, invest in new and upgrade the entire Provincial Road 950 to meet the standard of Grade IV in the plains, with a synchronous system of bridges, culverts, and lighting. This is the desire of the government and the people to remove "bottlenecks", creating conditions for Vinh Xuong to become a modern center for goods trading, developing to the level of an international border gate.

Solution soon

In the first 6 months of 2025, the import and export turnover through Vinh Xuong International Border Gate reached 71.7 million USD. This not only affirms the attraction and important role of the border gate in international trade activities but also reflects the rapidly increasing demand for goods transportation. However, to maintain the growth momentum and make a strong breakthrough in the coming time, it requires investment and upgrading of transport infrastructure.

Mr. Bui Thai Hoang said that transportation is “soft infrastructure” to stimulate investment capital flows and goods circulation. When National Highway 80B is upgraded to Grade III delta standards, with a 12m roadbed, 11m road surface and provincial road 950 is constructed, the entire An Giang border area will form a new trade corridor.

Goods from provinces in the region can be transported faster to the border gate, saving costs and improving competitiveness in the international market. This is especially important in the context of the border trade economy, which is not only a purely commercial activity but also a connecting channel to attract investment in the border gate economic zone, develop logistics services, warehouses, finance, banking, tourism , etc.

Recently, to make Vinh Xuong International Border Gate more effective, the province has invested in building Tan An Bridge, which will help shorten the time for goods to be transported from inland provinces to Vinh Xuong International Border Gate by nearly 1 hour. "Along with Tan An Bridge, if National Highway 80B, the section through Vinh Xuong Commune is upgraded to meet standards, it will create momentum for Vinh Xuong International Border Gate Economic Zone to develop strongly," said Vinh Xuong Commune Party Secretary Tran Hoa Hop.

An Giang aims to maintain a double-digit economic growth rate by 2026, with border economic development being one of the province's development pillars. To achieve this, transport infrastructure connecting the provinces in the region with the border gates must come first. The early implementation of upgrading National Highway 80B and Provincial Road 950 will not only remove infrastructure bottlenecks but also create a boost to turn the advantage of Vinh Xuong International Border Gate into a driving force for sustainable growth, contributing to enhancing the economic and trade position of An Giang in the region and the whole country.

MINH HIEN

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/nang-cap-ha-tang-giao-thong-tao-dong-luc-phat-trien-kinh-te-bien-mau-a427954.html