Dong Thap Works with ADB on the Coastal Road Project
(DTO) On the morning of October 15, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dieu, Vice Chairman of the Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee, chaired a reception and working session with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) delegation led by Ms. Yoko Takebayashi, ADB Senior Transport Specialist, to discuss the Coastal Road Project (Phase 1) traversing the former territory of Tien Giang Province, connecting with the former provinces of Long An and Ben Tre.
The project proposal was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 1294/QD-TTg dated June 24, 2025, and its investment policy was approved by the Dong Thap Provincial People's Council in Resolution No. 20/NQ-HDND dated July 29, 2025.
According to the plan, the project spans a length of approximately 23.6 km, with its starting point connecting to Provincial Road 871B in Gia Thuan Commune (Dong Thap Province) and its terminal point linking to the bridge crossing the Tien River in Tan Phu Dong Commune (Dong Thap Province). The project will be invested in two phases: Phase 1 constructs a grade-III delta road featuring a scale of 2 motor vehicle lanes; Phase 2 expands the scale to 4 motor vehicle lanes. The route features one major bridge—the Ben Chua Bridge, measuring approximately 2.17 km in length—along with 4 medium and small bridges.
The total investment capital for the project amounts to VND 7,095.040 billion, of which the ADB loan accounts for VND 4,136.780 billion (equivalent to US$170 million). Dong Thap Province will on-lend a 10% share totaling VND 413.678 billion (equivalent to US$17 million) to execute the project, while local counterpart funds amount to VND 2,958.260 billion.
The project is divided into two component projects: site clearance and construction. Regarding the site clearance component project, the Provincial People's Committee approved it via Decision No. 2951/QD-UBND dated September 21, 2026. Regarding the construction component project, the Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board finalized documentation in accordance with appraisal opinions from the Ministry of Construction and the Department of Construction, submitting it to the Department of Construction for compilation and advising the Provincial People's Committee on approval.
According to the projected timeline, the feasibility study report will be approved in October 2026, the loan agreement signed in the fourth quarter of 2026, site clearance completed in the same quarter, construction commenced in the first quarter of 2027, and completion achieved in the fourth quarter of 2030.
Speaking at the working session, Vice Chairman Nguyen Thanh Dieu requested relevant units to coordinate closely and unify plans for domestic and international open competitive bidding in accordance with Vietnamese legal regulations, ensuring publicity, transparency, fairness, and shortened execution timelines. Concurrently, he urged studying appropriate consulting package arrangements to ensure synchronicity between structural design and project supervision.
The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also requested ADB to provide support and consultancy on international bidding procedures, introduce design and appraisal consulting units with international experience, and assign experts to assist the province during project implementation, inspection, and supervision. Relevant units must urgently formulate detailed schedule plans, proactively coordinate to resolve difficulties, and ensure all tasks are deployed synchronously to meet the scheduled commencement target in the first quarter of 2027.
By QUANG MINH
Translated by X.QUANG
