Running more than 80 km (50 miles) in northern Quang Ninh Province, Van Don – Mong Cai Expressway will connect to the 300-km Hanoi – Ha Long Expressway and 264-km Noi Bai – Lao Cai Expressway to become the longest such route in the country and is nearly 98% complete.
The nation's longest expressway, which will run through the northern port city of Hai Phong and Quang Ninh, home to world-renowned Ha Long Bay, will shorten the traveling time from Hanoi to Mong Cai border gate with China from five and a half hours to three hours, and from Ha Long to Mong Cai from three hours to one and a half.
Quang Ninh will be the locality with the longest expressway section in Vietnam, 176 km, which however lacks a gas station and a rest stop.
Van Don – Mong Cai Expressway, which is also the longest interprovincial route in Vietnam, boasts 32 bridges, some crossing the sea.
One such sea-crossing bridge is Van Tien (pictured) that spans 1.5 km to link Van Don and Tien Yen districts of Quang Ninh.
Work started on Van Don – Mong Cai Expressway 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 km and costs more than VND3.65 trillion of the state budget, and the 63.26-km 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 getting the final touch.
Toll booths on the Tien Yen – Mong Cai section. All vehicles will pay toll fees via an electronic collection system.
Hai Ha Intersection at night. There are two intersections along the expressway, Dam Ha and Hai Ha.
Van Don – Mong Cai Expressway will be open to traffic on Sep. 1. It is hoped to improve regional activity and boost socio-economic development.
Van Don - Mong Cai Expressway gets ready to enter service.
