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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visits and extends New Year greetings to residents in the Quang Duc resettlement area, Tuy An Nam commune, Dak Lak province, on March 1 __Photo: VNA |
Prime Minister inspected the progress of eastern North–South expressway projects in Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa provinces, and reviewed the implementation of the “Quang Trung Campaign” to address the aftermath of natural disasters in late last year during a working trip to the central region on March 1.
Inspecting sub-projects of the eastern North – South expressway which run through four provinces, including the sections Quang Ngai – Hoai Nhon, Hoai Nhon – Quy Nhon, Quy Nhon – Chi Thanh, Chi Thanh – Van Phong, and Van Phong – Nha Trang, with a total length of more than 351 km and total investment exceeding 70.255 trillion VND (over 2.68 billion USD), the PM acknowledged the efforts of ministries, sectors, localities and construction forces for implementing the projects, despite complex weather conditions, challenging terrain and difficulties in construction materials supply.
To date, more than 83 km of the Van Phong – Nha Trang section has been put into operation, nearly 214 km of the main route from Quang Ngai – Hoai Nhon to the southern side of Cu Mong tunnel has been completed; and the construction of the remaining 53.7 km is being accelerated.
The PM requested the Ministry of Construction, in coordination with relevant ministries, agencies and localities, to swiftly complete procedures to open the finished sections to traffic before March 10, ensuring smooth, safe and secure operations. For the remaining workload, he instructed contractors to fully mobilise financial and human resources, maintain round-the-clock construction to complete the work in March, while finalising tunnels and auxiliary works so that the entire route can be operated synchronously in 2026.
Emphasising the goal of completing and putting into operation the entire North – South expressway from Cao Bang to Ca Mau, the Government leader urged investors and contractors to speed up the installation of traffic monitoring and control systems and rest stops to ensure synchronous operation with the main route. He noted that land clearance and environmental restoration must be fully resolved, ensuring environmental sanitation and avoiding impacts on residents’ lives and production activities.
The PM instructed the Ministry of Public Security, particularly the Traffic Police Department, to deploy patrols and guide road users to follow the traffic organisation plan as soon as the route is open to traffic, and strictly handle violations of traffic regulations, and ensure safe and effective operation.
For localities through which the expressway runs through, he requested a review and refinement of planning; restructuring of production, services, livestock and crops; and effective utilisation of new development space created by the infrastructure. He noted that the construction of interchanges and rest stops must be associated with service development and modern, green, clean and beautiful landscapes.
Local authorities were also asked to continue paying attention to the lives of people in project areas, ensuring new housing and livelihoods better than before, while encouraging residents to participate in protecting infrastructure works.
Regarding proposals to invest in east–west expressways connecting to the North – South expressway, such as the Nha Trang – Da Lat route and routes passing through Dak Lak, the PM stated that these projects are included in the expressway network plan for the 2026–2030 period, aiming for 5,000 km of expressways nationwide by 2030.
He agreed in principle on investment under the spirit of “three benefits” - benefiting the country, the people and enterprises, with localities proactively contributing in line with their capacity and maximising development gains.
During his trip, the PM also inspected efforts to overcome storm and flood consequences and the results of the “Quang Trung Campaign” to rapidly rebuild and repair homes for households heavily affected by natural disasters in late 2025. According to reports, the campaign has rebuilt more than 1,500 houses that were collapsed or swept away and repaired more than 34,000 severely damaged houses, helping the people stabilise their lives ahead of the 14th National Party Congress and the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival – the Year of the Horse 2026.
Visiting the Quang Duc resettlement area in Tuy An Nam commune, Dak Lak province, where 36 households who lost their homes have been relocated, PM Chinh requested the locality to develop it into a model residential area with synchronised infrastructure, ensuring residents have full access to healthcare and education services. He also stressed the need to plant trees, create a green–clean–beautiful environment, and generate jobs and sustainable livelihoods for residents.
The PM reiterated the consistent policy of the Party and the State to leave no one behind, especially in post-disaster social welfare efforts. He called on residents to continue promoting self-reliance and solidarity, and working together to develop the economy and improve both material and spiritual well-being.
Generally, he acknowledged the efforts of central region localities in overcoming natural disaster consequences and implementing key infrastructure projects. He called on them to maintain a spirit of determination, take concrete and effective actions to ensure that socio-economic, infrastructure and socio-economic development goals are achieved on schedule, with quality and sustainability.- (VNA/VLLF)
