Efforts to bring key projects to the "finish line"

According to the summary report of the functional sector, the results of public investment capital disbursement in Lao Cai showed outstanding efforts. By the end of October 20, the overall disbursement rate of the whole province reached 47.9% of the plan (7,604/15,119 billion VND). Notably, for the capital plan assigned by the Prime Minister, the province disbursed 81% and ranked 4th out of 34 provinces and cities nationwide.

However, the "sprint" pressure becomes clearer when looking at detailed data of 48 key projects.

As of September 30, the total capital plan for 2025 for these 48 projects (VND3,890 billion) had only disbursed VND1,434 billion, reaching 37% of the plan. The pressure comes not only from the numbers but also from the slow progress of many strategic projects.

Specifically, by the end of October, projects with very low disbursement rates, such as the Land Clearance Project (GPMB) to build the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong high-speed railway, the Yen Bai section (old) only reached 11.9% of the capital plan (11.9/100 billion VND) and the Lao Cai section (old) only disbursed 29.2% (146/500 billion VND); the Muong La connecting road (IC15) also only reached 17.6% (106.6/606.8 billion VND).

With 11/48 key projects yet to start construction, the workload and capital needing disbursement in the fourth quarter is huge.

The implementation of key projects in Lao Cai is facing three main groups of barriers, which are specific and complex, making the journey to the finish line uneven.

Site clearance work is identified as the biggest "bottleneck". The difficulty lies not only in verifying the complicated origin of land in urban or remote areas, but also in industrial zones.

Typically, for the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong high-speed railway project, site clearance work at Dong Pho Moi Industrial Park encountered many difficulties when having to relocate the entire large-scale factory, including production lines, machinery systems, transformer stations and operating cold storage.

In addition, the terrain, harsh weather, and "unstable" and dangerous geological features of Lao Cai are also major challenges. Storm No. 3 (2024), especially storm circulation No. 10 and 11 in 2025, caused landslides and damage to many structures. At the National Highway 279 Upgrade Project, the storm circulation caused dozens of large and small landslides, forcing the construction unit to temporarily stop construction to fix the problem, disrupting progress.

In addition, the issue of price and supply of construction materials is another barrier. Strong fluctuations in the prices of steel, cement, asphalt and especially gasoline and oil have directly affected construction costs.

Many road projects have been delayed in acceptance and payment due to problems with unit prices, while bridge projects (Phu Thinh, Ban Phiet) have had to propose budget adjustments due to steel prices "exceeding the frame". The scarcity of common materials such as sand and stone has also caused some projects to be temporarily suspended.

These "bottlenecks" are clearly shown in the reports of related units. For example, at the Construction Investment Project Management Board No. 1 - the unit managing 19 key projects with a total capital of up to 2,144 billion VND in 2025, the disbursement rate in 10 months only reached 48.1%. Major projects implemented by the unit such as the Road connecting Muong La (Son La) with Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway (IC15) or the Land Acquisition Project for the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong high-speed railway are all facing obstacles in site clearance and heavy impacts from recent storms.

Facing systemic challenges, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, the Party Committee and the People's Committee of Lao Cai province have shown strong leadership, providing timely, "accurate and correct" solutions for each problem.

With the "bottleneck" of site clearance at the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong high-speed railway project, the province has made a breakthrough move: Proactively advancing 590 billion VND from the local budget for site clearance work. This is a strategic step to break the deadlock while waiting for central capital and guidance from relevant ministries and branches, ensuring that this key national project can start construction on schedule.

For projects that were delayed due to weather, such as National Highway 279, the province's direction has been implemented by contractors. To compensate for the time interrupted by floods, construction units have mobilized maximum human resources and machinery, organizing construction in "3 shifts, 4 teams", with the determination to complete the project before December 31, 2025.

With the Sa Pa Airport Project - a strategic project, provincial leaders are actively coordinating with ministries and branches and proactively "searching and inviting experienced units" to participate in research, speeding up the selection of investors, determined to start the project in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Comrade Tran Viet Dung - Director of Construction Investment Project Management Board No. 1 emphasized: "We are focusing on regularly checking, urging, and proactively removing difficulties right at the construction site. On the other hand, the unit is also determined to strictly handle contractors who violate progress commitments, while strictly controlling technical standards and labor safety to ensure the quality of the project upon completion."

At the same time, a series of other synchronous solutions are also being implemented, such as: reviewing and adjusting capital from slow-disbursement projects to projects with good progress and lacking capital; speeding up acceptance and payment to maintain cash flow for contractors; directing localities to review and meet the maximum demand for common construction materials.

To strengthen the direction to the grassroots, according to comrade Nguyen The Phuoc - Standing Vice Chairman of Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee, in the second half of November, the Provincial People's Committee will establish working groups to work directly with 99 communes and wards to specifically resolve each problem.

The "race" to disburse public investment capital in Lao Cai is in the final stage. With strong leadership and flexible solutions, Lao Cai is demonstrating high political determination to "reach the finish line", creating a solid foundation and driving force for development in the next phase.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/no-luc-dua-cac-du-an-trong-diem-ve-dich-post886652.html