Land of Nine Dragons and the dream of a highway.

"We must strive to complete 600 km of expressways in the Mekong Delta by 2025," Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized while chairing a conference on October 16th to address difficulties and obstacles and promote the development of transportation infrastructure in the Mekong Delta region.

Previously, he had directly worked with ministries, departments, and localities in the region five times; he inspected construction sites many times, urged, visited, and encouraged officials, workers, and contractors, resolving difficulties and accelerating the progress of strategic transportation projects in the Mekong Delta.

Construction of the Can Tho - Ca Mau expressway. Photo: Le An

This demonstrates the special attention the head of government pays to the region's transportation infrastructure, as he stated, "Implementing these projects is a political task, a heartfelt demand, and the expectation of the people of the Mekong Delta."

The Mekong Delta is currently considered a major transportation construction site. Eight out of nine projects are underway, with six of them scheduled for completion in 2025.

According to the plan, by 2025, the Mekong Delta will have 600km of expressways, and by 2030, this figure will reach 1,200km. Compared to five years ago, when the Mekong Delta only had 39km of expressways (the Ho Chi Minh City – Trung Luong section), this goal is truly ambitious and has brought great excitement to the people of the Mekong Delta.

This fertile land, rich in produce and abundant in rice, fish, and shrimp, is currently the most disadvantaged in the country in terms of transportation infrastructure. Recognizing this, the Party and the State have prioritized significant resources for investment.

And in just a short time, many sections of roads and bridges have been completed, transforming vast rice fields into clearly defined modern highways, bringing tremendous development prospects to the region. However, for the Mekong Delta to truly take off, what has been achieved is still not enough.

Only by visiting and living in the Mekong Delta can one truly understand how much the people there yearn for roads like these. On May 21, 2000, millions of people in the Mekong Delta shed tears as they witnessed the completion of the My Thuan Bridge, connecting the two banks of the Tien River that had been traversed for generations by ferry and boat. Hundreds of thousands of people, both on the river and on the banks, flocked to admire the bridge, feeling as if they were dreaming…

Today, the Mekong Delta has the Rach Mieu 1 bridge, with Rach Mieu 2 soon to be added; the Vam Cong, Cao Lan, and My Thuan 1-2 bridges; and 120km of expressway running from Ho Chi Minh City all the way to Can Tho. The Can Tho - Hau Giang and Hau Giang - Ca Mau sections, scheduled for completion on April 30, 2025, are the most anticipated. Upon completion, the eastern expressway will provide a continuous route from North to South, connecting the entire region…

The Mekong Delta currently has 428km of expressways under construction, and another 215km are being studied for investment preparation.

Difficulties are always present, and when embarking on any task, one anticipates facing challenges. However, we shouldn't let "difficulty stifle ingenuity," but rather "difficulty brings out ingenuity." This has been a tradition of the Vietnamese people in many fields throughout history. Therefore, with determination, nothing is impossible!

As the Prime Minister has clearly stated: Ministries, sectors, and localities need to continue focusing on thoroughly understanding three overarching principles: Transportation must be smooth and proactive; discussions should only focus on implementation, not regression, ensuring projects are completed on time or ahead of schedule; discussions should lead to decisions, not just idle talk. Once discussed and decided upon, action must be taken, and action must produce concrete, measurable results.

He also noted that ministries, localities, investors, and contractors must urgently and proactively apply policies and mechanisms to ensure the smooth implementation of their respective tasks. This means overcoming difficulties, proactively finding solutions, and ensuring that projects are completed on time for no reason whatsoever!

To achieve the goal of 1200km of expressways by 2025, there will undoubtedly be many difficulties, and the shortage of sand is only one of them. Other challenges include land acquisition, weather conditions, climate change, and the cost of raw materials.

However, thanks to the decisive directives and specific solutions suggested by the head of government, and the experience of the rapid implementation of the 500 kV circuit 3 Quang Trach (Quang Binh)-Pho Noi (Hung Yen) power line project, millions of people in the Mekong Delta have every right to believe that their hopes and dreams will soon become a reality!

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/dat-chin-rong-and-the-highway-dream-192241016173244945.htm