Prime Minister: Implementing infrastructure projects in the Mekong Delta is a demand of the heart

Photo caption — Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presides over a conference on the progress of expressway projects in the Mekong Delta region. Photo: Duong Giang/TTXVN.

Also attending were: Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha; leaders of ministries, central agencies; leaders of provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta and neighboring areas; leaders of investors, project management boards, consulting, design and construction contractors of the projects.

Currently, 11 expressway projects/sub-projects are being implemented in the Mekong Delta region, with a total length of 434.7 km. Of these, the Ministry of Construction is the managing agency for 5 projects/sub-projects with a total length of 211.77 km, with 4 projects (191.17 km) planned for completion by 2025.

Local authorities are the managing agencies for 6 projects/sub-projects with a total length of 216.93km, including 1 project planned for completion in 2025 with a length of 16km; and 5 projects planned for completion in 2026, with full operation in 2027, with a length of 200.93km.

Currently, the projects have basically completed land clearance work; only the traffic management and monitoring component remains to be cleared for the Can Tho - Hau Giang and Hau Giang - Ca Mau projects, which pass through the provinces and cities of Can Tho, An Giang, and Ca Mau.

The total demand for construction materials for the projects is approximately 54.2 million m3 of sand for embankment and about 8.7 million m3 of stone. To ensure the supply of materials for the projects, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha have paid close attention, repeatedly inspecting, working with, and directing ministries, sectors, and localities to focus on resolving obstacles and accelerating the licensing process. To date, the needs of the projects have been basically met.

Specifically, regarding sand for embankment, localities have licensed the exploitation of 63.31 million m3/54.2 million m3 for projects; however, the permitted exploitation capacity has not met the project implementation schedule. Regarding stone materials, sources of 5.5 million m3 have been identified, while sources of 3.1 million m3 remain undetermined.

Regarding the construction progress, to ensure the completion of the projects, the investors have developed detailed plans and decisively directed contractors to mobilize additional machinery, equipment, personnel, and resources, organizing construction in "3 shifts and 4 teams". However, the progress of some projects has not yet met the directives of the Prime Minister.

Specifically, the Cao Lanh - Lo Te project has reached 92% of its production value; the Lo Te - Rach Soi project has reached 99%; the Can Tho - Ca Mau project has reached 75%; the Cao Lanh - An Huu project, comprising two component projects, has reached 68% and 53.4% of its production value; the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang project, with two component projects, has reached 62% and 45% of its production value; and the My An - Cao Lanh project commenced construction in July 2025.

After leaders of units, ministries, sectors, and localities reviewed the progress and clearly identified the causes of delays or risks of delays in projects, especially the supply of construction materials; concluding the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed the delegates' frank and decisive discussions with a high degree of action; affirming that no locality or project had proposed additional capital, mechanisms, or policies, only localized shortages of construction materials such as sand, stone, and gravel.

The Prime Minister stated that the Party and the State are very concerned about directing the development of the Mekong Delta. To develop the Mekong Delta, many tasks and solutions must be implemented, including pioneering, rapid, and bold development of infrastructure and investment in human resource development…

Recalling the beginning of the term, the Mekong Delta had almost no expressways, but today the entire region has developed and is developing approximately 12,000 km of expressways. Along with that, seaports such as Hon Khoai, and airports in Phu Quoc and Ca Mau are receiving investment; with a total investment of nearly 600 trillion VND for the development of the region's transportation system.

The Prime Minister commended the ministries, departments, localities, investors, project management boards, consulting, design, and construction contractors for their efforts and decisive actions in overcoming difficulties for key transportation projects in the Mekong Delta region, achieving many remarkable results.

In this regard, ministries, sectors, and localities have made great efforts and acted responsibly in promptly handling and resolving difficulties and obstacles; they have balanced and allocated sufficient materials for leveling and road foundation stone for the projects; land clearance work has basically progressed on schedule, with many projects having completed 100% of the land clearance; the work of supporting resettlement and taking care of the lives of the people has been done well by the localities; and security and social order in the project areas have been maintained.

The Prime Minister stated that some projects are currently facing limitations and delays due to land clearance issues and the supply of construction materials, specifically sand and stone. Therefore, the Prime Minister instructed Can Tho City and Vietnam Electricity Corporation to urgently coordinate, relocate power infrastructure, and complete land clearance by October 2025 to facilitate these projects.

Regarding construction materials, the Prime Minister affirmed that the mechanisms, policies, and laws are sufficient. Therefore, localities must allocate and transfer materials between projects, between localities and units in accordance with requirements; continue to supply and increase the capacity of construction material extraction for projects; resolutely combat corruption, especially hoarding, price gouging, market manipulation, and collusion with contractors to use materials improperly for profit. In addition, consideration should be given to using sea sand for road embankment filling, ensuring that no projects lack construction materials.

The Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Ministry of Construction to continue guiding and supporting localities in implementing the projects. Contractors, officials, engineers, workers, and laborers on the construction sites continue to demonstrate high determination, working with the spirit of "overcoming the sun and rain," "eating quickly, sleeping urgently," working in "3 shifts and 4 teams," "through holidays and Tet," working even on Saturdays and Sundays, "working during the day and taking advantage of the night" to accelerate the construction progress.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assigned specific tasks to ministries, sectors, localities, and units in implementing specific work at a number of projects. Regarding the five expressway projects scheduled for completion in 2025, the Prime Minister requested a focus on mobilizing sufficient materials according to the project schedule; researching and applying science and technology to shorten loading time and construction time, while strictly adhering to the design, ensuring quality, technical standards, aesthetics, environmental protection, and safety of the structures when put into use.

In particular, we will aggressively accelerate the progress of the Cao Lanh - Lo Te and Lo Te - Rach Soi projects; shorten the time for loading the 16km section of component project 1 Cao Lanh - An Huu, striving for technical opening to traffic in 2025.

With the viewpoint that "ideology must be clear, determination must be high, effort must be great, action must be decisive and effective; work must be focused and prioritized, and each task must be completed thoroughly," the Prime Minister requested that Ministers, Secretaries of City and Provincial Party Committees, and Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and cities in the region continue to further enhance their sense of responsibility, actively and proactively implement projects; proactively resolve difficulties and obstacles so that projects are completed on schedule, contributing to promoting the rapid and sustainable development of the Mekong Delta region and the whole country.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the implementation of these projects is a political task, a heartfelt demand, and the expectation and hope of the people of the Mekong Delta; the sooner strategic infrastructure projects are completed, the more favorable conditions the Mekong Delta will have for development; and the sooner the people of the Mekong Delta can benefit from the fruits of the Party and State's attention.

* On this occasion, the Prime Minister also directed relevant ministries, agencies, and Can Tho city to immediately invest in two cancer radiotherapy machines for Can Tho Oncology Hospital, meeting urgent needs and protecting the health and lives of the people. Localities in the Mekong Delta region are urged to accelerate the implementation of the project to cultivate 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice. Ministries, agencies, Ca Mau province, and relevant localities are to quickly implement projects serving the APEC 2027 High-Level Week in Phu Quoc.

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