More "signs" for Nha Trang - Da Lat expressway investment plan

Nha Trang - Da Lat Expressway.

Accelerate the investment process

There have been additional important instructions for the People's Committees of Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong provinces to complete the investment proposal for the Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) - Da Lat (Lam Dong) Expressway Construction Project under the PPP method, according to Official Dispatch No. 12691/BXD-KHDT sent by the Ministry of Construction in the middle of last week.

Citing Clause 5, Article 7 of Decree No. 243/2025/ND-CP, dated September 11, 2025 of the Government detailing a number of articles of the Law on Investment under the PPP method, the Ministry of Construction said that for PPP projects under the management of many competent agencies that require the use of state capital to participate in the project, the People's Committees of the provinces must report to the People's Councils of the provinces before agreeing to assign a locality as the competent agency.

The project to build the Nha Trang - Da Lat expressway under the PPP method has the starting point - Km0+00 intersecting with the North-South expressway in the East at Dien Tho commune, Khanh Hoa province; the ending point - Km80+810, Darahoa intersection, at Lam Vien ward - Da Lat, Lam Dong province with a total length of 80.8 km.

The total investment of the Project is 25,058 billion VND, of which the construction cost is 18,889 billion VND, invested in the form of PPP - BOT Contract, with the participation of State support; investment preparation time is 2024 - 2025, investment implementation time is 2026 - 2028.

Meanwhile, the Nha Trang - Da Lat Expressway Construction Project is being implemented in two provinces, of which the section through Khanh Hoa is 44 km long and the section through Lam Dong is 36.8 km long. "Therefore, in order to have sufficient basis to determine the competent authority, the Ministry of Construction requests the People's Committees of Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong provinces to report to the Provincial People's Councils for approval and approval of the plan to assign a locality as the competent authority to study and implement the Nha Trang - Da Lat Expressway Construction Project under the PPP method," Official Dispatch No. 12691 signed by Deputy Minister Nguyen Viet Hung stated.

Regarding the adjustment of the project investment progress, the Ministry of Construction said that according to the Road Network Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, the Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) - Lien Khuong (Lam Dong) expressway has a scale of 4 lanes, with the investment progress after 2030.

To meet the investment needs of the two localities, the Ministry of Construction will direct relevant agencies and units to research and adjust the project investment process in accordance with transportation needs, serve socio-economic development and ensure compliance with current regulations.

It should be added that one of the "problems" in the Nha Trang - Da Lat Expressway Construction Project is that the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee proposed a capital support ratio from the state budget of 65% of the total preliminary investment, to ensure the feasibility and financial plan of the project.

Regarding this content, the Ministry of Finance has sent a document requesting the People's Committees of Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong provinces to maximize the role and autonomy of localities, focus on prioritizing capital allocation and increasing the proportion of local budget capital, and reducing the proportion of central budget capital participating in the project.

“Therefore, the Ministry of Construction recommends that localities review and proactively balance resources for project investment. In case of difficulties, localities are requested to work with the Ministry of Finance and relevant agencies to report to competent authorities for consideration and support of central budget capital to implement project investment,” the leader of the Ministry of Construction stated.

Hesitate about the state capital ratio

It is known that in Official Dispatch No. 4429/UBND-XDND, dated September 24, 2025 sent to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Construction regarding clarification and explanation of contents related to investment in the Nha Trang - Da Lat Expressway Construction Project, Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee proposed to reduce the proportion of state capital participating in the project to 65% of the total investment (the previous proposed plan was 70%).

According to the People's Committee of Khanh Hoa province, with a scenario of state budget support of up to 65%, the payback period is about 24 years 0 months 10 days. This is one of the prerequisites for the project to be feasible and attractive enough for investors under the PPP method and BOT contract. However, in Official Dispatch No. 16996/BTC-PTHT sent to the Ministry of Construction and the People's Committees of Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong provinces issued at the end of October 2025, the Ministry of Finance said that the project requires state capital participation of about 16,286 billion VND (accounting for 65% of the preliminary total investment); of which, the central budget capital in the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2026-2030 is 15,115 billion VND; the local budget capital is expected to be arranged at 1,171 billion VND.

Currently, the ability to balance and arrange the state budget for development investment in the 2026-2030 period has not been decided by competent authorities, so there is no basis to assess the ability to balance state capital allocated for the project.

In addition, a preliminary summary of the need for public investment capital from the central budget exceeding the balance capacity for development investment in the 2026-2030 period has been reported to the National Assembly. In particular, the need to allocate capital to prioritize tasks such as national target programs, key projects, and national importance; therefore, the remaining central budget capital to balance for other projects is very difficult.

According to Point 2, Section III of Decision No. 1454/QD-TTg dated September 1, 2021 of the Prime Minister, for investment planning projects after 2030, in case localities have investment needs to serve socio-economic development and mobilize resources, they can report to the Prime Minister for approval for earlier investment.

"Therefore, it is recommended that Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong provinces maximize their role and autonomy, focus on prioritizing capital allocation and increasing the proportion of local budget capital, and reduce the proportion of central budget capital participating in projects," said Mr. Tran Quoc Phuong, Deputy Minister of Finance.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/them-bien-bao-cho-chu-truong-dau-tu-cao-toc-nha-trang---da-lat-d432525.html