Traffic paves the way for the "nine dragons" land to take off

Identifying transport infrastructure as one of the strategic breakthroughs to promote rapid and sustainable development of the Mekong Delta, the Government has focused resources on investing in the construction of highways and bridges in the region. Many key projects put into use and completed in the coming time will be the "runway" for the Mekong Delta to make a breakthrough in socio-economic development, rising up with the country.

BREAKTHROUGH TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

For a long time, transport infrastructure has always been a "bottleneck" for the socio -economic development of the Mekong Delta. Weak and unsynchronized infrastructure has become a "barrier" to the development of the delta. Traffic jams and congestion have become recurring stories during holidays and Tet. Realizing this key issue, the Central Government has recently focused resources on investing in key transport projects for the Mekong Delta.

Rach Mieu 2 Bridge is expected to be put into use on August 19, 2025.

Many highway and bridge projects are being implemented simultaneously with the expectation of changing the infrastructure appearance of the “nine dragons” land. However, the important factor is that these key projects will spread effectively in promoting investment attraction and economic development for the West.

According to the Ministry of Construction, the Mekong Delta region is implementing many expressway projects simultaneously. Specifically, the projects being invested in include: Can Tho - Hau Giang and Hau Giang - Ca Mau expressways, Cao Lanh - Lo Te expressway, Lo Te - Rach Soi expressway, Component Project (DATP) 1 and Component 2 of Cao Lanh - An Huu expressway, My An - Cao Lanh expressway, Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway. In particular, the Can Tho - Ca Mau expressway (vertical expressway) is one of the projects of important strategic significance connecting Can Tho City to Ca Mau province.

The project has a length of 110.85 km of expressway and 25.85 km of connecting route, divided into 2 DATPs: Can Tho - Hau Giang section and Hau Giang - Ca Mau section. The project has a total investment of 27,523 billion VND, started in January 2023, and is expected to be completed in December 2025. Currently, the project has completed all sand filling work to wait for settlement. Some sections have been unloaded to construct asphalt concrete pavement. At the construction site, contractors are arranging 200 construction teams, 955 machines and equipment and 2,125 personnel to carry out construction simultaneously.

According to the leader of the People's Committee of Ca Mau province, the Can Tho - Ca Mau expressway passing through the province is being implemented very smoothly, from the ground level to the spirit and determination at the construction site. The provincial leaders and the investor regularly inspect, encourage, and visit cadres, engineers, and workers at the construction site. In the coming time, Ca Mau will coordinate with the investor to urge the contractor to speed up construction to put the project into technical traffic on December 19, 2025.

Along with the Can Tho - Ca Mau expressway, the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway project (vertical expressway) phase 1 is also one of the key projects creating development momentum for the "nine dragons" land.

The project is about 189 km long, with a total investment of 44,691 billion VND. An Giang Provincial People's Committee is the managing agency of DATP 1, with a total investment of 13,526 billion VND. Can Tho City People's Committee is the managing agency of DATP 2, 3, 4, with a total investment of about 31,165 billion VND. The project is determined to basically open to traffic on December 19 this year.

According to Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee Tran Van Lau, the current implementation volume of Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway is about 8,266/19,902 billion VND, reaching 41.5% of the contract value. Since the beginning of the year, the progress of DATPs has improved.

Up to this point, the city-invested DATPs have disbursed 69.39% of the capital plan. According to Chairman of the An Giang Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Mung, the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang Expressway DATP 1, managed by the local authority, has reached over 53.7%, exceeding the plan. Immediately after the Prime Minister inspected and worked on the project, the contractor is planning to adjust and shorten the construction time, completing it before December 19, 2025.

Along with the vertical and horizontal highway axes, the Mekong Delta is also investing in building large bridges connecting provinces and regions. In particular, the Rach Mieu 2 Bridge Construction Investment Project is one of the key projects connecting the two provinces of Dong Thap and Vinh Long.

The total length of the project is about 17.6 km, with a total investment of more than 6,810 billion VND. Currently, Rach Mieu 2 Bridge has basically completed all items and is preparing to be officially put into use on August 19, 2025.

Another key project that is also being focused on accelerating progress is the Dai Ngai Bridge Construction Investment Project on National Highway 60 (in Can Tho City and Vinh Long Province). The project has a total investment of nearly VND 8,000 billion, including 2 packages: Dai Ngai Bridge 2 and the route; Dai Ngai Bridge 1. Currently, 2 packages are being implemented; of which, Dai Ngai Bridge 2 has been completed about 99%. The entire project will be completed in 2028.

EXPANDING DEVELOPMENT SPACE

With the concentration of investment resources in developing transport infrastructure, one of the biggest “bottlenecks” of the Mekong Delta region is gradually being resolved. The infrastructure is gradually being developed in a synchronous manner, making it easier for people to travel, shortening travel time from one province to another, and especially opening up many new development opportunities.

Can Tho - Ca Mau Expressway is striving to reach the finish line by the end of 2025.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son, a resident of My Phong ward, Dong Thap province, shared: “I often go on business trips to the Western provinces. Previously, the most convenient way to travel from one province to another was to go along National Highway 1, which was crowded with traffic.

Now there is a highway from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho, and My Thuan 2 bridge, so traveling is more convenient. Currently, many highways and bridges are under construction, so I really hope that these projects will help people's travel more conveniently."

According to Dr. Tran Huu Hiep, an economic expert in the Mekong Delta, the West is the most important agricultural and aquatic region of the country, but the biggest weakness in regional development is the weak transport infrastructure.

In recent times, the Central Government and localities have paid attention to investing, initially changing the appearance of regional traffic with many key projects. The completion of the vertical expressway from Ho Chi Minh City to Ca Mau and a series of horizontal routes such as: Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang, An Huu - Cao Lanh, Cao Lanh - Lo Te, Lo Te - Rach Soi... has, is and will open up development space, creating development momentum for the entire region, reflected in all aspects.

Firstly, complete infrastructure will significantly reduce logistics costs, shorten the time to transport agricultural and aquatic products from gardens and fields to seaports and industrial parks; and enhance the competitiveness of agricultural products in the Mekong Delta.

Second, inter-provincial and inter-regional connectivity will create conditions to attract FDI capital into industrial parks and clusters, agricultural processing, renewable energy, eco-tourism; unleashing the potential of centers such as Can Tho, An Giang, etc.

Third, smooth traffic contributes to the formation of four “development corridors” - along the Tien River, Hau River, the East Sea and the Southwest border. This will form a “growth quadrilateral” to promote regional connectivity. This is a golden opportunity to transform the Mekong Delta into a new, sustainable and more deeply integrated growth pole.

Important transport projects will form a network of expressways and upgraded national highways will create an “agricultural highway” for the entire region. First of all, intra-regional transport will be more flexible and proactive thanks to the transverse route running through the “six new provinces”, contributing to the relief of local congestion and reducing the burden on National Highway 1.

The projects will connect directly with Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast region via the Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway. This will expand the industrial and logistics support area, reducing the distance to Cai Mep - Thi Vai seaport. At the same time, connecting with the western coastal corridor of the new An Giang province, the former Kien Giang area to Ha Tien border gate, to Cambodia via Tinh Bien, Long Binh, Xa Xia will promote multimodal transport: Road - waterway - future railway.

“Regarding international trade, agricultural, fruit and aquatic products exported from the Mekong Delta will quickly reach the ASEAN market, China, and then to Europe and the US through deep-sea ports. At the same time, it will welcome investment capital into border economic zones, export processing zones and border economic zones. Thanks to that, the Mekong Delta will not only be a food and aquatic products center, but also become an “ASEAN gateway” in logistics, contributing to balanced development, reducing pressure on large urban infrastructure; at the same time, diversifying export markets,” Dr. Tran Huu Hiep assessed.

ANH THU

Source: https://baoapbac.vn/kinh-te/202508/giao-thong-mo-duong-cho-dat-chin-rong-cat-canh-1047746/