Section of Vietnam's longest expressway to open on National Day

Van Don – Mong Cai Expressway, which will link with the 300-kilometer Hanoi – Ha Long Expressway to become the longest express route in the country, will start operation on the National Day of Sep. 2, authorities of Quang Ninh Province announced.

Covering 80 kilometers (50 miles) with four lanes allowing a maximum speed of 120 kph, the section will shorten travel from Quang Ninh's Van Don Economic Zone to Mong Cai to 50 minutes instead of two hours.

The section will also be the longest interprovincial route in Vietnam. It is part of Hai Phong – Ha Long – Van Don – Mong Cai Expressway that links northern port city Hai Phong with Quang Ninh, home to world-renowned Ha Long Bay.

The entire Van Don – Mong Cai Expressway boasts 32 bridges, some crossing the sea.

Nguyen Tuong Van, Quang Ninh’s chairman, has ordered investors and contractors to swiftly assess and report on the project so the section could open on schedule.

Work started on the section in April, 2019 in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode, at the original cost of VND11.2 trillion ($484.76 million).

But in May 2020, the government approved a proposal by Quang Ninh to split the expressway into two different projects: the Van Don – Tien Yen section that stretches 16.8 kilometers and costs more than VND3.65 trillion of the state budget, and the 63.26-kilometer Tien Yen – Mong Cai section built under the PPP format at VND9.11 trillion.

Currently, the Van Don – Tien Yen section is complete while the Tien Yen – Mong Cai section is 95 percent done. The remaining work on the section includes covering the road surface with asphalt, installing sign boards and toll booths, as well as painting the road.