Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends the inauguration ceremony of Van Don - Mong Cai highway

On the morning of September 1, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the inauguration ceremony of Van Don - Mong Cai highway jointly organized by Quang Ninh province and Sun Group, to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2, 1945-2022).

Also attending were former Politburo member, former National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; Former Politburo member, former Standing Committee of the Secretariat Tran Quoc Vuong; Politburo member, Director of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council Nguyen Xuan Thang; leaders of central committees, ministries and branches; leaders of provinces, cities and Quang Ninh province.

The Van Don - Mong Cai expressway, Quang Ninh province has a total length of 80.23km, was constructed quickly in just over 02 years after completing the site clearance.

With the starting point at Km 96+00 located near Van Don international airport and the ending point at Km176+00, connecting to the Bac Luan 2 bridge road (Mong Cai city), Van Don - Mong Cai highway has a large scale. 4 lanes for motor vehicles, 2 lanes for emergency stop, roadbed width of 25.25m and design speed of 120km/h. This is the maximum design speed for expressways in Vietnam.

The intelligent traffic system ITS is equipped with modern equipment to record continuously 24/24 hours in all weather conditions. This is also one of the few highways in the world that is invested with a synchronous lighting system on the whole route.

Regarding the landscape - architecture, Van Don - Mong Cai highway is one of the routes with the most bridges across the sea, across rivers and streams in the country with 35 bridges on the main route, equivalent to a total length of more than 7, 9km (accounting for 10% of the total length of the route).

Chairman of Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Tuong Van said that the completion of Van Don - Mong Cai expressway will shorten the travel time from Hanoi to Mong Cai city to only 3 hours, opening a new development space for Quang Ninh. Ninh and the entire Red River Delta.

The completed work has synchronously connected with Van Don - Ha Long - Hai Phong - Hanoi - Lao Cai highway, forming the longest highway in Vietnam with nearly 600km. Since then, making Quang Ninh become the province with the largest number of highway kilometers in the country with 176km. This is also the only highway in Vietnam connecting 3 airports (Noi Bai - Cat Bi - Van Don), 3 economic zones with 1 international border gate.

Connecting ASEAN countries and localities throughout the country with China through the Mong Cai international border gate will create favorable conditions for attracting investment capital, to promote the economic strengths of the border region, and promote economic, social, tourism development, promoting international trade through Mong Cai border gate - a place of trade with a market of more than 1 billion people...

This is also a highway connecting the system of airports, seaports, tourist areas, entertainment, resorts, scenic spots, cultural and spiritual relics... throughout Quang Ninh province to facilitate the transportation of goods as well as the travel of tourists by road, attracting investors to Quang Ninh.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that the Van Don - Mong Cai expressway is the last completed route of the Quang Ninh trans-provincial expressway with a total length of 176km; accounting for 16.8% of the country's total existing highway length (176km/1046km). The total investment capital of VND 44,000 billion is invested by the province and domestic private investors (of which the province's investment capital is VND 15,607 billion, accounting for 35.5%, the capital of private enterprises is VND 28,229 billion. accounting for 64.5%).

The process of project formulation, appraisal, approval and construction organization of Van Don - Mong Cai expressway encountered many difficulties and obstacles due to incomplete institutions, mechanisms and policies; the authorities have different opinions; national highways, but implemented by localities and businesses...

Besides, other technical issues such as bridge height, static clearance of pond bridge; the problem of exploitation of investors when local investment together; the implementation of the last section of the expressway in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic, the ground clearance problem faced many difficulties...

However, all those difficulties have been proposed by Quang Ninh province and the Government, ministries, central branches, consultants, investors, contractors, and the State Appraisal Council have joined hands to remove them. remove and apply creatively, flexibly and effectively legal documents... so that today this expressway has been inaugurated and opened to traffic on the whole route.

According to the Prime Minister, the highway connects a large area, making Quang Ninh increasingly become a strategic transit point in East Asia - Southeast Asia, ASEAN - China, the "two corridors one" cooperation area. economic belt” between Vietnam and China, the inter-regional cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin expanded, creating a strong driving force to promote regional linkages of the Northern key economic region and the Red River Delta.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the completion of the final expressway to connect the region is the implementation of the Party and State's guidelines and guidelines on the development of transport infrastructure, especially the construction of a road system, contribute to removing bottlenecks and traffic bottlenecks.

The route has the role and meaning of creating motivation and new development space for the Northern midland and mountainous region, the Red River Delta, including Quang Ninh province; successfully implement the public-private partnership model on infrastructure development investment in a locality; promote production and business, trade, services, tourism, develop industrial parks and urban areas where highways pass, and improve people's lives; serving the restructuring of the economy in general and the provinces and cities through which the expressway passes, towards the goal of green economic development, rapid development and sustainable development.

In addition, contributing to improving the capacity, management and administration of officials and employees related to highway works and projects and of the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province; contribute to improving the spiritual and material life of the people where the highway passes; contribute to the construction of defense and security defense zones; international economic cooperation in border areas. Also through the project, businesses investing, designing, supervising, and contractors gain more experience when participating in highway construction.

According to the Prime Minister, from the above results and meanings show many lessons. Accordingly, resources originate from thinking, motivation comes from innovation, and strength originates from the people. The Central Government, Government, Ministries and branches trust and assign local authorities as competent state agencies to carry out the construction of highways and design tools for inspection, supervision and control of power. The locality must promote the spirit of self-reliance, self-reliance, dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility for the common interests and interests of the region and the country; at the same time must enlist the help of the Government, ministries, branches and localities.

Along with that, promoting public-private cooperation to develop transport infrastructure is essential in the context of limited state resources. Investors must comply with the law, have high determination, make great efforts, persevere and resolutely implement, especially when facing difficulties and complexities related to site clearance, mechanisms and policies. Enlist the support of the People in site clearance, especially ensuring that the people's life is at least equal to or higher than the old residence. Building the confidence and maturity of local officials and employees when assigned tasks.

Regarding tasks in the coming time, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested Quang Ninh province to continue to complete the documents and procedures to manage the 176km expressway in accordance with the law; Ministries and branches shall coordinate with localities to review regulations and procedures, and expeditiously complete them in accordance with law; localities to coordinate with each other to exploit and connect routes for socio-economic development; serving green, fast and sustainable development.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh announced the inauguration; and the leaders and former leaders of the Party and State performed the inauguration ceremony of the Van Don - Mong Cai expressway.