Minister of Construction Inspects Expansion Project of Ho Chi Minh City – Trung Luong – My Thuan Expressway
(DTO) On the afternoon of March 9, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh conducted a field inspection of the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway Expansion Investment Project. Joining the inspection was the Vice Chairman of the Dong Thap Provincial People’s Committee, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dieu.
During the visit, Minister Tran Hong Minh inspected the project at Kenh Nang Bridge – Km 21 within Dong Thap Province. According to the project enterprise, contractors have currently deployed 25 construction teams with 114 pieces of equipment and more than 310 engineers and workers.
At present, the project requires an additional 117 hectares of land clearance out of the total 1,067 hectares. Many locations are facing obstacles related to technical infrastructure such as water pipelines, power lines, and telecommunications cables. The project enterprise has conducted additional land clearance staking and plans to hand over the markers to local authorities on March 30, 2026. So far, the project has disbursed VND 595 billion.
To accelerate the project schedule, the investor proposed that the Ministry of Construction send official documents to relevant localities and organize meetings to ensure the completion of land clearance by June 2026. The provinces of Tay Ninh, Dong Thap, and Vinh Long are requested to identify sand mines for embankment materials so that the investor can exploit them under special mechanisms. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai Province are expected to allocate sufficient construction stone to meet project demands and construction progress.
Furthermore, with rising prices and shortages of fuel and bitumen, the investor requested the Minister to direct relevant units to implement the "actual cost-actual payment" principle and government handling measures in the near future.
During the inspection, Minister Tran Hong Minh noted that the investor has been proactive following the Lunar New Year. He emphasized that the project enterprise, Ministry units, and localities must focus on expediting additional land clearance.
Regarding technical design appraisal, the Department for Roads of Vietnam must focus on technical and construction issues to ensure quality, speed, and cost-efficiency.
On material supply, the investor must actively work with provinces. Localities should boldly increase sand mining capacity, concentrating on key mines. For stone supplies, the investor should coordinate with Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City.
Throughout the process, the investor and related units must ensure compliance with legal procedures while striving for speed. Localities must set construction material prices close to market rates, updated monthly.
The Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway Expansion Project has a total investment of over 36,172 billion VND, spanning more than 96 km. Passing through Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh, and Dong Thap, the project is implemented under a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) contract with 100% private capital.
The investor consortium includes De Ca Group, Ho Chi Minh City Infrastructure Investment JSC, Tasco JSC, Hoang Long Investment and Construction Corporation, and CII Service and Investment Co., Ltd.
The project starts at the Cho Dem intersection (Tan Nhut Commune, Ho Chi Minh City) and ends at the northern foot of My Thuan 2 Bridge (An Huu Commune, Dong Thap Province).
Specifically, the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong section will be expanded to 8 lanes with a design speed of 120 km/h. The Trung Luong - My Thuan section and the stretch from An Thai Trung intersection to My Thuan 2 Bridge will be completed with 6 lanes and a design speed of 100 km/h.
Along with road widening, the expressway will be equipped with a synchronous intelligent transportation system (ITS), modern rest stops, and toll plazas. The project is expected to be completed and put into operation in 2028.
By M. THANH
Translated by X.QUANG
