$485-mln Vietnam expressway construction begins

By Minh Cuong April 3, 2019 | 06:17 pm PT

An artist impression of the Van Don - Mong Cai expressway. Photo acquired by VnExpress

Construction of an expressway connecting the Van Don Economic Zone and Mong Cai town in northern Quang Ninh Province begins on Wednesday.

The highway, to be built by a subsidiary of Sun Group in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode, is estimated to cost VND11.2 trillion ($484.76 million).

It will run 80 kilometers (50 miles) and have four lanes, allowing a maximum speed of 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour.

The expressway will open to traffic in 2021, and the investor will collect toll for the first 19 years. It is set to reduce travel time between Van Don and Mong Cai from two hours to just 50 minutes.

It will also be connected with the Hanoi – Ha Long expressway to become the longest expressway in the country.

Quang Ninh was named the most competitive province in the country for a second year in a row in the Provincial Competitive Index (PCI) 2018 survey released last week by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

It is building a number of infrastructure projects, including the Van Don International Airport, the first private airport in the country, also invested by Sun Group.