On the morning of October 18, Construction Minister Tran Hong Minh, representing the government, presented the National Assembly with a review of Resolution 66/2013 and the completion of the two-lane Ho Chi Minh Road project.
The Ho Chi Minh Road starts at Pac Bo in Cao Bang province and ends at Dat Mui in Ca Mau province. Resolution 66/2013 set a target of connecting the entire route as a two-lane road by 2020. After several revisions, the basic deadline for connecting the route was moved to the end of 2026, partly by using National Highways 32 and 21.
The government proposed completing the final accounts and formally closing the two-lane project no later than the end of 2027. It also plans to continue upgrading sections of the route under the approved plan.
The government said it had ordered additional shifts, equipment and personnel, and would transfer work volumes or terminate contracts with contractors that were behind schedule and unable to finish. It is also working with local authorities to resolve material supply problems.
Nguyen Thanh Hai, chair of the National Assembly Committee on Science, Technology and Environment, said while presenting the review that the committee broadly supported adopting a resolution. The resolution would conclude the stage of connecting the route as a two-lane road and provide a legal basis for upgrading and widening it under the plan.
The committee said the project was expected to largely meet its goal of connecting the full route by the end of 2026, about six years later than the target set in Resolution 66/2013. The schedule was revised by National Assembly resolutions in 2022 and 2025.
The committee noted that completion by the end of this year remained a projection. The Rach Soi to Ben Nhat and Go Quao to Vinh Thuan sections are now scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2027.
The government's report did not quantify additional costs caused by the delays or assign responsibility to individual agencies and organizations. The committee called for these details to be clarified, for figures on total investment, schedule and disbursement to be reconciled, and for a detailed funding balance to be prepared for each project component.
According to government documents, the Cho Chu to Nga Ba Trung Son section was about 99% complete, the Chon Thanh to Duc Hoa section was about 96% complete, and the Rach Soi to Ben Nhat and Go Quao to Vinh Thuan sections were about 73% complete.
The committee pointed out that the government's submission dated September 30 still said the Cho Chu to Nga Ba Trung Son and Chon Thanh to Duc Hoa sections were expected to be completed or technically opened in September. The completion figures for the Rach Soi to Ben Nhat and Go Quao to Vinh Thuan sections also differed between parts of the dossier.
On these sections, 15.06 km out of a total 51.94 km is still undergoing surcharge loading on soft ground. The committee described the goal of opening the route in 2026 and bringing the two sections into service in the first quarter of 2027 as a major technical challenge. It called for close settlement monitoring and said authorities must not remove the load early before the soil reaches its designed consolidation level.
The committee broadly agreed with the proposal but called for clear assignments to complete and open the three sections under construction, as well as full implementation of requirements in inspection and audit conclusions.
The Committee on Science, Technology and Environment also called for compensation, resettlement and livelihood issues to be resolved. It said closing the two-lane project would not end the state's duty to address residents' lawful interests.
According to the review, 2,488 of the route's 2,744 km has been completed. The connection from Pac Bo to Dat Mui is being carried out partly by using National Highways 32 and 21.
Sources: Dân Trí
