The meeting was conducted in a combination of in-person and online format between the Headquarters of the Government and the representatives of 46 provinces and centrally-run cities with important national and key transport projects.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Head of the Steering Committee; members of the Steering Committee include Ministers, Heads of agencies under the Government; Chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces and cities; representatives of project management boards, state-owned economic groups, investors, consulting units, construction contractors.
The Prime Minister requested the participants to discuss, evaluate the situation, and propose solutions to shorten the progress of projects, ensure the quality and technical/aesthetic aspects of the projects – Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
2023 – successful year of infrastructure development
At the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that the country is promoting 3 growth motivations, including investment motivation, which includes domestic investment, foreign investment, private investment, and social investment.
Emphasizing the important role of public investment in leading and activating all social resources for development investment, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that in 2024, the country will allocate VND 657 trillion for public investment, mainly in transportation infrastructure, and strive to achieve a disbursement rate of at least 95%.
Along with the effective promotion of growth motivations and the concentration of public investment disbursement, with the operation of transportation projects, logistics costs for businesses will be reduced, input costs will be reduced, and the competitiveness of products, businesses, and the economy will be increased. This will create new development opportunities because wherever there is a path, there is a new development space, especially for industrial development, urban areas, services, etc.
“This affirms that the Party and the State have identified the focus of implementing 3 strategic breakthroughs, especially the breakthrough in infrastructure, as the right and sensible choice, which is a decisive factor for immediate and long-term development,” the Prime Minister asserted. Each transportation project has its own mission, function, and different tasks, but they all are very important and are strategic breakthroughs.
The Prime Minister said that in recent years, transportation infrastructure investment and development have been promoted, creating a trend and momentum, “not only in central but also local levels”. The period of 2021-2022 is a starting phase, preparation, and approval of projects, the year 2023 is for simultaneous implementation, and the year 2024 has been identified as the year of accelerating the implementation of key transportation projects.
Evaluating 2023 as a successful year of infrastructure development – one of the 3 strategic breakthroughs, the Prime Minister praised the localities, ministries, sectors, project owners, contractors, consultants, and people with projects going through who have made great efforts, implemented synchronously, especially working during holidays, overcoming challenges, working in 3 shifts, 4 teams and taking advantage of every opportunity to promote the implementation of transportation projects, growing in terms of thinking, awareness, and action.
The Prime Minister also made it clear that some projects have still been delayed due to prolonged investment procedures, slow land clearance, lack of proactive raw materials due to regulatory constraints. Relevant entities need to coordinate closely and effectively, promote the concentration of efforts to promote timely completion of projects; related entities need to coordinate closely and effectively, and encourage the effort and focus on promoting untimely projects. Entities, individuals need to proactively coordinate closely, effectively resolve work tasks according to their authority.
The Prime Minister tasked the delegates attending the meeting to discuss, evaluate the situation, propose solutions to shorten the progress of projects, ensure the quality and technical/aesthetic aspects of the projects, ensure labor safety, hygiene, and environmental landscape. At the same time, remove difficulties and obstacles in using ODA capital, using sea sand in construction of transportation projects.
Leaders of the Ministry of Transport speak at the meeting – Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
According to the report of the Ministry of Transport, in 2023, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired 5 meetings of the Steering Committee and directly inspected the site of projects. He directed, issued many instructions, telegrams, documents to remove difficulties and promote implementation by ministries, sectors, localities.
In the early days of 2024, the Prime Minister issued 02 telegrams directing agencies and units to continue to exert maximum responsibility, accelerate the progress of implementation of projects and transportation infrastructure works, and focus on removing difficulties and obstacles related to construction norms, construction prices; exploitation and supply of construction materials.
On the 3rd and 4th day of the Lunar New Year, the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha inspected, visited and celebrated the Lunar New Year at 05 key transportation projects in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau to timely direct, remove difficulties and encourage workers.
Delegates attending the meeting – Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
With the close, decisive guidance of the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Ministers, as well as the close, responsible coordination, the efforts of ministries, sectors, localities, many difficulties and long-standing obstacles in some projects have been focused on solutions. Pre-investment works of many projects have been accelerated, many projects have started construction in 2023, and many projects have been completed and put into operation, bring about effective investment results.
As for newly implemented projects, most of them have achieved or exceeded the set plan; disbursement results of the projects have reached a high level or exceeded the requirements. The Ministries: Planning and Investment, Natural Resources and Environment, Construction, Finance have completed many tasks assigned by the Prime Minister.
Currently, there are 34 major projects, 86 important national projects and key transport projects in 46 provinces and centrally-run cities. This includes 5 railway projects, 2 airport projects, and the rest are road projects, mainly highways and belt roads in the capital city of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and the surrounding areas.
The eastern North-South expressway project has completed 9 out of 11 component projects of the 2017-2020 stage and the My Thuan-Cần Thơ project as planned, raising the total length of expressways to 1,892 km, of which 475 km were completed in 2023; the remaining 2 projects are implemented under the BOT contract form, and the project owners, contractors are actively implementing to complete according to the direction of the Prime Minister.
For 12 component projects of the 2021-2025 stage, although the initial year of implementation has faced many difficulties, such as land and construction material, owners and contractors make efforts to organize construction and closely follow the set schedule.
For 5 high-speed road projects of the East-West axis and belt roads, the progress of implementation is still slow, except for some packages carried out by Ho Chi Minh City and Long An (Package V3 belt road), Hanoi (Package V4 belt road), Ba Ria-Vung Tau (Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway), Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa (Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot) as the management agencies implemented basically to meet the plan.
Other high-speed projects such as Tuyen Quang-Ha Giang passing through Ha Giang province, Cao Lanh-An Huu, Ben Luc-Long Thanh are being carried out by project owners and contractors to closely follow the set schedule.
Urban railway projects Hanoi Metro Line 3 and Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien project are being reviewed by Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to remove contractual obstacles, complete personnel training, complete fire protection procedures, supervise construction project acceptance, and safety certification system. These projects strive to operate the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Line and Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien project in July 2024.
For the Long Thanh International Airport project, the organizing of contract packages is underway, such as package 5.10 Passenger Terminal, construction of facilities for flight management, which have been strictly implemented by the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) and the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM), and contractors are actively implementing to closely follow the set schedule. The unstarted packages belong to component project 1 – construction of headquarters of state management agencies, component project 4 – construction of essential works, are being implemented by the competent agencies for investment procedures, selection of investors. The construction of Terminal 3 of the Tan Son Nhat International Airport is being implemented by ACV in accordance with the set schedule, and disbursement has reached VND 2,477 billion out of VND 10,825 billion (23%) up to now…
2024 is the year of acceleration in the implementation of key transportation projects
In conclusion of the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the implementation of important national and key transport projects is a difficult task, both in terms of scale, targets, and scope, with a total investment of VND 422,000 billion in 2024.
The implementation process of the projects has encountered many difficulties and challenges, but under the leadership of the Party, the high consensus of the National Assembly, we have proposed and resolved basic legal difficulties; ministries, sectors, localities, project management boards, contractors, consulting units, and officials, workers, and employees at the construction sites of the projects have made great efforts and achieved positive and valuable results, creating a trend and development momentum for infrastructure throughout the country.
The Prime Minister thanked the people for their unanimity, support, and support for the great policy of the Party, the State, giving land and accommodation for projects, changing habits, and occupations, livelihoods for the development of the country.
Regarding the overall tasks in the coming time, the Prime Minister clarified that the Government, ministries, departments, agencies, and localities must implement the correct and sensible directions and strategies of the Party and the State, including breakthroughs in infrastructure, in concrete products to achieve the set goals, contributing to the fast and sustainable development of the country.
The Prime Minister emphasized if we can disburse VND 422,000 billion of investment capital for transportation infrastructure projects in 2024, it will contribute to promoting growth, creating jobs, livelihoods for the people, creating new development space for localities, regions, and the whole country.
If 2021-2022 is a startup, preparation, and approval of projects, 2023 is the simultaneous implementation, and 2024 is identified as the year of accelerating the implementation of key transportation projects.
The Prime Minister requested ministries, sectors, localities, members of the Steering Committee, project management boards, owners, contractors, consulting units, supervisors, and officials, employees, and workers involved in the projects based on their functions, tasks, authority, to take the initiative and actively implement the assigned work, the commitments and agreements already in place, with the requirement to ensure progress, improve quality, ensure technical aspects, aesthetics of the projects, ensure labor safety, and environmental sanitation. At the same time, remove difficulties and obstacles in using ODA capital, using sea sand in the construction of transportation projects.
“Wherever there are difficulties, they must be resolved, and obstacles at any level must be removed; when encountering difficulties, we must go for inspection, urge, sit down together to share, sympathize, find solutions, and not hesitate to spend time on this work,” the Prime Minister stated.
Related entities, individuals must coordinate closely, effectively, resolve work according to their authority, perform works with a focus, be responsible, not avoid or push responsibility.
The Prime Minister noted that special attention should be paid to employment, livelihoods, medical, educational, and social infrastructure for the people in resettlement areas and new residential areas must be equal to or better than the old areas.
The Prime Minister emphasized that corruption and negative activities are strictly prohibited, all work must be done with a selfless, transparent spirit, all for the common interest; not to create complex issues; strengthen inspections, checks, investigations, and handling of violations related to “stockpiling, price gouging” with raw materials for projects.
Regarding suggestions at the meeting, the Prime Minister assigned the Government Office, the Ministry of Transport to summarize and classify for authorities to handle within their jurisdiction. For issues already provided in legal documents that have been issued, relevant agencies continue to issue clear guidelines for implementation, protection of those who dare to think, dare to do, and dare to take responsibility.
Regarding specific tasks, the Prime Minister assigned the Government Office, the Ministry of Transport to study the opinions at the meeting, complete and issue the Prime Minister’s conclusion on the meeting promptly for ministries, sectors, agencies, and entities to seriously, closely, effectively implement it.
The Prime Minister emphasized that it is most important that we must proactively, actively carry out work according to our functions, tasks, authority, and commitments to implement our work according to the spirit of “only focus on doing without retreating,” “overcome the sunshine, win against the rain,” “work 3 shifts, 4 teams,” “eat whenever possible, sleep urgently,” work in construction – 3 shifts – weekends, and work for inspection, urging together, sharing, sympathizing, finding solutions, without sparing time.
