Vietnam mulls new 130 km Mekong Delta expressway

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently tasked the Ministry of Transport to study the feasibility of constructing the four-lane Can Tho – Ca Mau Expressway to improve connectivity in the Mekong Delta region.

The first section, between Can Tho City and Bac Lieu Province, will be built using public funds, while the second, from Bac Lieu to the most southern province of Ca Mau, will be built under the public-private-partnership (PPP) model.

A consultancy had earlier estimated that the project would cost VND47 trillion ($2 billion) in total. The new expressway will connect with another one on the anvil - the My Thuan – Can Tho Expressway – allowing speeds of up to 100 km an hour.

The Can Tho-Ca Mau Expressway is among several planned or being constructed in the Mekong Delta region. The 51-kilometer Lo Te – Rach Soi Expresssway connecting Can Tho City with Kien Giang Province is set to open to traffic in September, while the Trung Luong – My Thuan Expressway in Tien Giang Province will open at the end of this year.

Work is set to begin on at least five other expressways in this and upcoming years.