New vitality from the highways

After nearly 800 days and nights of battling the sun and rain, the 48-kilometer-long expressway, part of Component Project 3 (Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot Expressway), has been officially completed.

Opportunities to accelerate from a "historic path"

December 19, 2025 marks a significant milestone in the infrastructure development history of Dak Lak province. Along with 85 key projects nationwide, Dak Lak solemnly held the technical opening ceremony for 48 km of expressway under Component Project 3.

For the people of Dak Lak, this expressway is a landmark project. For decades, road transport accounted for up to 95% of transportation in the western part of the province. This is the first expressway to be built running through this area, and also the first expressway project where Dak Lak province has been granted the authority to manage it by the Government.

The completion of the Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot expressway project will create leverage to boost trade in Dak Lak.

Looking back on the nearly 800 days and nights of construction, Mr. Dang Tho Dan, Head of the Transportation Project Management Department (Dak Lak Province Investment and Construction Project Management Board for Transportation and Rural Development - Board A), said that to achieve this opening day, hundreds of officials, engineers, and workers had to face countless difficulties, from land clearance work on a huge area, harsh weather conditions, to fluctuations in the price of raw materials... Especially, with the close guidance of the Central Government, the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Committee, and the consensus of the people, the project was completed on schedule, ensuring quality, technical standards, and aesthetics.

"On this highway of aspirations, agricultural products from the Central Highlands will reach the sea faster, and tourists will find it easier to access the villages, opening up opportunities for breakthrough development for the entire region."

Mr. Tran Tien Dong, Director of Department A

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Truong Cong Thai emphasized: “The Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot expressway project helps to form a strategic horizontal axis connecting the Central Highlands with the South Central Coast. When the vertical and horizontal axes intertwine, it creates a synchronous and modern infrastructure network, directly connecting economic centers and gateway seaports. This is the potential and space for new development for the entire region and is a driving force, creating opportunities for the province to accelerate socio-economic development.”

The avenue crosses through the prosperous village.

Component Project 3 has a total length of over 48 km, starting in Ea Kar commune and ending in Ea Knuếc commune, passing through 7 communes in the western part of Dak Lak province: Ea Ô, Vụ Bổn, Tân Tiến, Krông Pắc, Ea Knuếc, Ea Ning, and Ea Ktur. Now, a modern highway has been formed, traversing prosperous villages – areas that were once the capitals of lush green coffee, durian, and pepper plantations.

To achieve the current landscape, nearly 333 hectares of land have been handed over by organizations and households. Behind these figures lies the sacrifice of personal interests for the common future of hundreds of households in the project area.

Mr. Huong Van Loi (Thanh Xuan village, Ea Knuec commune) recalls the time in 2023 when his family received a notice to reclaim nearly 6,000 square meters of land, including 400 square meters of residential land – a place they had lived on for over 30 years. “Sadness and regret over losing the land were unavoidable,” Mr. Loi confided. But after being informed by the local authorities and understanding the importance of the project to the development of his village, he was the first to hand over the land.

With the remaining land, his family harvests 60-70 tons of durian each year, earning billions of dong. Mr. Loi happily shared: “Before, transportation was extremely difficult; the red dirt roads were dusty in the sun and muddy in the rain, and traders would force down prices. Now, with the main road, container trucks can come right to the village during harvest season, and the lives of the villagers have improved significantly.”

Mr. Tran Tien Dong, Director of Project Management Unit A (third from the right), encourages the morale of officials, engineers, and workers on the highway construction site.

Sharing the same spirit, Mr. Nguyen Huu Tinh (Hoa Nam village, Ea Knuec commune) also handed over more than 7,000 m2 of land to the project. Mr. Tinh shared that previously, Hoa Nam village was almost isolated, with difficult transportation access. Now, with the bypass road and expressway passing through, the appearance of this poor rural area has become vibrant and full of life.

Mr. Tran Tien Dong, Director of Department A, affirmed that the expressway is a strategic "lifeline" that helps elevate the status of local agricultural products. By shortening the travel time from the coffee capital to Nam Van Phong port (Khanh Hoa) to less than 2 hours, logistics costs will be significantly reduced, creating leverage for durian, coffee, and other specialties of Dak Lak to confidently compete in the international market.

Beyond solving economic problems, the route also opens up "golden opportunities" for the tourism industry of Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa provinces. This transportation axis serves as a bridge, creating a heritage journey from the "land of agarwood and swallows' nests" to the "coffee capital".

Xuan Truong

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202602/suc-song-moi-tu-nhung-xa-lo-fec2987/