Vietnam plans to ‘basically’ complete trans-national expressway by 2021

Vietnamese lawmakers decided at a meeting on Wednesday that work should start on major sections of a trans-national expressway this year to ensure the project is “basically” completed by 2021.

The 11 sections of the North-South Expressway will cost over VND118 trillion ($5.2 billion) in total, of which VND55 trillion will be funded by the state.

They will stretch 654 kilometers (406 miles) from Nam Dinh Province to Vinh Long Province.

The entire 2,000-km North-South Expressway is set to be finished by 2025 when it reaches Ca Mau Province in the far south.

Some parts of the expressway have already been completed and are open to traffic.

At a government meeting in July last year, Deputy Prime Minister urged for the North-South Expressway to be completed by 2020, saying that the route will play a fundamental role in the country's development.