10-Year Warranty Paths and ‘Invite Residents to Verify’ Commitment

On October 25, 2022, Mr. Nguyen Viet Hai, Chairman of Son Hai Corporation, signed a letter to the Ministry of Transport requesting a 10-year warranty for the contracts on the expressways constructed by the corporation, including the Package 10-XL of the Mai Son- National Road 45 project, the XL-01 package of the Nghi Son-Dien Chau project, the entire Nha Trang-Cam Lam project, and the subsequent packages of Phase 2 on the North-South expressway that the corporation is currently responsible for.

Son Hai Corporation commits to warranty works including smooth road surfaces, no cracks, no bumps, and smooth transitions onto bridges. This commitment will remain valid under all circumstances, including overloaded vehicles, excessive traffic volume, or unfavorable weather conditions. The warranty will be monitored by the public through 10-year warranty signs placed along the routes.

Previously, Son Hai committed to a 5-year warranty for contracts on National Highway 1 in Quang Binh and National Highway 14, while other contractors only provided a 2-year warranty.

It is evident that Son Hai’s continuous commitment of 5-10-year warranties instead of the current standard 2-year warranties demonstrates the company’s serious working attitude and its commitment to quality construction.

Non-stop construction site

Present on the construction site of the XL02 package of the Van Phong-Nha Trang expressway in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year of the Horse, journalists from the e-newspaper Government Report directly observed the enthusiastic and hardworking atmosphere among the workers of Son Hai Corporation.

Mr. Nguyen Van Huy, Deputy Director of Son Hai Corporation, stated: Son Hai is responsible for the entire road construction and other works on the section from Km 345+620 to Km 368+350 of the Van Phong-Nha Trang expressway project, with a total length of 22.73 km and a value of VND 2.278 trillion (USD 103.47 million).

“The XL02 package started in February 2023, and currently we have completed 15 km of asphalt out of the total 22.73 km and started constructing the median barriers to ensure traffic safety. During the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, Son Hai’s construction site was also in operation non-stop. We carried out continuous 24/7 operations with three shifts and four crews, working relentlessly with over 700 workers,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Huy.

One of the technologies applied by Son Hai is the construction of median barriers using automatic mold pressing machines to produce continuous concrete barriers on-site.

According to on-site observations from Government Report journalists, the machine moves along the road and produces seamless concrete barriers that are of consistent and aesthetically pleasing quality, while also saving construction time and improving productivity. The machine used is the Power Curber 5700. According to the manufacturer, the 5700-D is the latest generation of the world’s best-selling slipform paver.

Recently, on January 5, Son Hai Corporation submitted a request to the Project Management Board 7 (Ministry of Transport) to sign an annex to the contract to extend the warranty period from 2 years to 10 years for the volume of work that the corporation is responsible for in the XL02 package of the Van Phong-Nha Trang expressway project.

Innovation and new technology

The Nha Trang-Cam Lam expressway, which started operations on May 19, 2023, was completed 3 months ahead of schedule. It is worth noting that there was one section that was completed 6 months ahead of schedule, which is the Do Son Tunnel – one of the important sections on this expressway.

The tunnel has a length of 1,480 m and consists of 2 complete parallel tubes, each with a length of over 700 m. The Do Son Tunnel is part of package 3 with a total investment of VND 1.2 trillion (USD 54.55 million), with the Ho Chi Minh Road Project Management Board (Ministry of Transport) as the representative state management authority and the Nha Trang-Cam Lam Expressway Investment and Construction Company and Son Hai Corporation as the investors and contractors.

Construction of the Do Son Tunnel started in November 2021. To expedite the project, the investor appointed experienced tunnel construction contractors. The construction site had 4 excavation crews and 2 crews working on roof reinforcement. The construction was carried out continuously in three shifts and four crews, with an average of 10 m of tunnel excavation per day.

To expedite tunnel construction, Son Hai Corporation maximized manpower with over 500 equipment and 1,500 workers, operating in three shifts around the clock.

A representative from Son Hai stated: The company applied the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), the world’s leading modern method for underground construction, in excavating the Do Son Tunnel. To complete this project, the company mobilized hundreds of officers, workers, and modern machinery to work around the clock. As a result, the tunnel was opened in May 2022, 6 months ahead of schedule.

In recent years, the Austrian tunneling method (NATM) has been the most widely used underground construction method worldwide. NATM maximizes the inherent resistance and support of the terrain, which significantly reduces the cost of support materials and human resources and shortens project construction time. Additionally, NATM proves to have great resistance against geological pressure in seismically active areas. In practice, this method is excellent for constructing many tunnels around the world.

Particularly, when constructing the Do Son Tunnel, Son Hai Corporation proposed to the Ministry of Transport to change the design to completely cover it with asphalt concrete to eliminate noise when vehicles pass through and improve aesthetics. This is also the only tunnel in Vietnam that is completely covered with asphalt concrete. According to observations from Government Report journalists, there is no longer the loud noise commonly heard in other road tunnels when passing through the Do Son Tunnel.

The Nha Trang-Cam Lam expressway is a stretch of road where Son Hai Corporation has planted “10-year warranty” signs along the entire route.

A company with a true “fire-resistant gold”

In addition to rapid and high-quality road construction, Son Hai has demonstrated its commitment by planting “10-year warranty” signs on the Mai Son-National Road 45 and Nghi Son-Dien Chau expressways.

On April 29, 2023, the Mai Son-National Road 45 expressway was officially opened, and a “10-year warranty” sign was planted in the XL10 package constructed by Son Hai Corporation (in association with Xuan Truong). This package includes 14.56 km of road, 6 mainline bridges with a total length of 588 m, 1 tunnel of 245 m in length, 1 interchange, 2 interchanges, and 14 pedestrian underpasses, among other works.

On September 1, 2023, the Nghi Son-Dien Chau expressway was put into operation. People traveling continue to see Son Hai’s green “10-year warranty” signs from Km 380+000 to Km 389+900.

In an exchange with Government Report journalists, Mr. Nguyen Dac Toan (a driver on the Hanoi-Vinh route) said: “I see that the Mai Son-National Road 45 expressway is much better than other routes. This section of the road has a ’10-year warranty’ sign, so the quality is good and the road is smooth without strong bumps. Driving on it feels very smooth. We, as drivers, hope to have more high-quality expressways like this for faster and safer transportation and to reduce vehicle breakdowns.”

Similarly, Mr. Vuong Duy Soan (a driver on the My Dinh-Ha Tinh route) commented: The ’10-year warranty’ section of Son Hai is of very good quality and appearance, providing a comfortable and secure driving experience without bumps. “I hope that the next expressways will have the same high quality and be built to last 10 years, so that we can feel assured when traveling,” said Mr. Vuong.

It is clear that Son Hai’s commitment to plant “10-year warranty” signs and allow the people to monitor its performance is truly commendable. Although 10 years is not a long period compared to the lifespan of a road, Son Hai’s daring thinking, commitment, and implementation deserve great appreciation, especially considering that no other transportation company has provided such a long warranty period.