VEC - Solution to Expressway in Vietnam

VEC - Solution to Expressway in Vietnam

Due the high demand for development and a massive increase in the number of road vehicles, the Vietnamese Government has set a target to form an expressway network in the coming decades. Under the plan, around 150km of expressway will be built each year and it is expected to have 3,000km of expressway nationwide in the next 20 years. This has led to the establishment of Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC).

At the opening ceremony on December 4, Minister of Transport Dao Dinh Binh stressed the importance of such a company in dealing with the capital for expressway construction projects. The establishment of VEC will make a new mark in the journey to seek financial sources for developing both local road networks and the country’s transport system, he said.

According to Tran Xuan Sanh, VEC's general director, Vietnam must complete construction of an advanced technical infrastructure framework by 2015, in which a modern road system will play an important role. 

Under the Transport Ministry's plan submitted to the Government, between now and 2015, Vietnam must build 13 expressways with a total length of 1,354km crossing some routes such as Bac Giang-Bac Ninh, Lang-Hoa Lac, Bien Hoa-Vung Tau, and Dau Day-Da Lat. Total investment is estimated at around VND100,000 billion. Under the VEC's strategy, priorities will be given to the construction of modern express routes linking key economic zones with industrial parks with a view to promoting investment efficiency.

The biggest challenge to the company is that its operation model is new to Vietnam, Sanh said. This business requires huge capital and the use of high technology. "We need assistance from the Government, relevant ministries and branches to realize investment projects as soon as possible," he stressed.

• Doan Phuong