Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivers the opening remarks at the 14th meeting of the National Steering Committee for important national and key transport projects – Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
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The meeting was held in a hybrid format, connecting the Government Headquarters with provinces and centrally-run cities that are home to important national and key transport projects.
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that, to date, the list of projects under the Steering Committee’s supervision includes 40 large-scale projects comprising 92 components across three sectors: roads, railways, and aviation, spanning 48 provinces and centrally-run cities.
The Prime Minister emphasized that, with only around 15 months left until the end of 2025, there is a significant amount of work to be done. Therefore, he proposed discussing solutions to expedite the progress while ensuring the quality of the projects, drawing on valuable experiences from the 500kV power line project.
Accordingly, it is necessary to foster a vibrant emulation movement, mobilize forces, and create a synergy with the entire political system under the leadership and direction of Party committees and authorities, with the active participation of the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations. Main contractors should engage additional subcontractors to generate employment and income for local people and businesses while enhancing the capacity of local contractors. The spirit should be “working together, winning together, sharing together, and developing together.”
The Prime Minister also took the time to analyze the importance of strategic transport infrastructure. In particular, a preliminary assessment showed that Super Storm No. 3 caused approximately VND 40 trillion in losses. We must find solutions to make up for these losses, including accelerating public investment disbursement and promoting three strategic breakthroughs, one of which is the transport infrastructure breakthrough.
Therefore, implementing key national transport infrastructure projects is both an important political task and a demonstration of “national spirit and brotherhood.” Ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses must focus on this with a sense of responsibility and dedication to the people and the country. Once committed, it must be done, and recognition and rewards should be given to those who perform well, while those who are sluggish, push tasks away, or shirk their responsibilities should be handled according to the Party and State regulations.
Significant tasks completed since the 13th meeting
At the 13th meeting on August 8, 2024, the Prime Minister assigned 42 tasks to ministries, sectors, and localities, focusing on addressing difficulties and obstacles and accelerating land clearance and the provision of construction materials, especially for key transport projects in the southern region.
According to the Ministry of Transport, 11 tasks have been completed within the specified timeframe, 28 tasks are being actively implemented as regular steering and management tasks, and one task is yet to be implemented as the deadline has not been reached. Two tasks have not been completed as per the deadline, including the completion of several critical tasks.
The Ministry of Construction has been very proactive and responsible in coordinating with ministries, sectors, and localities to develop and issue a Circular amending and supplementing construction norms, contributing to improving both the quantity and quality of norms and reducing inconsistencies to make them more practical. They have also issued guidance to localities on determining costs related to the provision of construction materials through a special mechanism, addressing many difficulties in cost determination and management for key transport projects.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, on behalf of the Prime Minister, presented to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee adjustments to Resolution No. 273/NQ-UBTVQH15 on the policy of converting forest land and land used for rice cultivation of two or more crops a year for the North-South Expressway project in the 2021-2025 period. They have also issued documents to localities to disseminate Decree No. 91/2024/ND-CP dated July 18, 2024, on procedures for converting forest land use purposes.
The Ministry of Planning and Investment has submitted to the Government a draft Law amending and supplementing several articles of several laws to remove obstacles in construction investment. They have also submitted to the Prime Minister a plan to adjust the medium-term public investment plan for the domestic central budget in 2024.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has provided guidance to Ben Tre province on exploiting common construction minerals through a special mechanism to serve the projects.
The State Capital Management Committee has reported on the investment plan for the expansion of the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh section and directed the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) to guide its units to overcome difficulties and obstacles in relocating power lines.
The Central Council for Emulation and Rewards has coordinated with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, and localities to organize a ceremony to launch a peak emulation movement “500 days and nights of emulation to complete 3,000 km of expressways.”
The Ministry of Transport has submitted to the Politburo a proposal for investment in the high-speed North-South railway project and submitted to the Government a resolution on implementing the National Assembly’s Resolution No. 138/2024/QH15 on the policy of investing in the construction of the Gia Nghia-Chon Thanh expressway.
Regarding investment preparation, Ho Chi Minh City has coordinated with the provinces of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, and Long An to report to the Prime Minister on the proposal to establish a pre-feasibility study report for the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 4 project. The Prime Minister has assigned ministries and sectors to handle Ho Chi Minh City’s proposals.
The People’s Council of Binh Duong province has adjusted the investment policy for the Ho Chi Minh City-Thu Dau Mot-Chon Thanh project. Cao Bang province is coordinating with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to clarify the appraisal opinions on adjusting the investment policy for the Dong Dang-Tra Linh expressway project as directed by the Deputy Prime Minister.
The Ministry of Transport is appraising the adjustment of the investment policy for the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway project and has completed the pre-feasibility study report for the high-speed North-South railway project according to the Government’s resolution and sent it to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for appraisal (second time).
The Ministry of Planning and Investment has coordinated with the People’s Committee of Hanoi to complete the dossier and report to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister on adjusting the investment policy for the Nam Thang Long-Tran Hung Dao urban railway project.
Regarding the approval of feasibility study reports, Ninh Binh province has approved the feasibility study report for the Ninh Binh-Hai Phong project.
Thai Binh province is submitting the Nam Dinh-Thai Binh project’s feasibility study report to the inter-sectoral appraisal council for appraisal, while Son La province is completing the feasibility study report for the Hoa Binh-Moc Chau project according to the appraisal opinion of the construction consultancy agency. Lam Dong province is directing the investor to complete the feasibility study report for the Tan Phu-Bao Loc project according to the appraisal opinion. Lam Dong and Binh Duong provinces are appraising the feasibility study reports for the Bao Loc-Lien Khuong and Ho Chi Minh City-Thu Dau Mot-Chon Thanh projects, respectively.
On September 4, 2024, the Deputy Prime Minister held a meeting with Lam Dong province and relevant ministries and sectors to remove difficulties and obstacles and accelerate the approval of the Tan Phu-Bao Loc and Bao Loc-Lien Khuong projects.
The meeting was held in a hybrid format, connecting the Government Headquarters with provinces and centrally-run cities – Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
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Regarding land clearance, with the Prime Minister’s strong direction at the 13th meeting of the Steering Committee and Official Dispatch No. 80/CD-TTg dated August 16, 2024, localities have actively implemented this work, and there has been a significant change.
However, as the remaining area is mainly residential land, implementing land origin determination and compensation plans is complex, and some localities have not yet met the requirements, including Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Khanh Hoa, and Lang Son.
Regarding construction materials, for projects in the North and Central regions, the supply of materials has basically met the construction needs.
For projects in the southern region, following the direction of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on assigning material supply targets to localities, the localities have coordinated with investors and contractors to deploy procedures related to mine allocation for the projects. However, the progress is slow, affecting construction progress. Besides Vinh Long province, which has allocated 1.1/3.4 million m3, the provinces of Tien Giang and Ben Tre are still in the process of allocating and supplementing mines.
For the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway project, Dong Nai province is implementing and completing the procedures for mine allocation but slower than required by the Prime Minister.
Regarding construction deployment, to implement the emulation movement “500 days and nights of emulation to complete 3,000 km of expressways,” the Ministry of Transport has coordinated with localities assigned as managing agencies to review the implementation plan, build detailed schedules, especially for critical path tasks, to urge units.
Most projects with sufficient material sources and favorable site clearance conditions are making satisfactory progress.
Some projects with large values, such as the North-South Expressway project in the 2021-2025 period, have achieved 52% completion, Chau Doc-Can Tho-Sóc Trăng project in An Giang province has reached 26%, Hanoi Ring Road 4 project in Hanoi has reached 33%, the Tuyen Quang-Ha Giang project in Ha Giang province has reached 35%, Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 project in Long An province has reached 41%, Cao Lanh-An Huu project in Dong Thap province has reached 36%, and Bien Hoa-Vung Tau project in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province has reached 35%. Some component projects are striving to complete three to six months ahead of schedule.
However, construction progress in some localities is slow, such as Can Tho and Soc Trang in the Chau Doc-Can Tho-Sóc Trăng project, Bac Ninh in the Hanoi Ring Road 4 project, Cao Bang in the Dong Dang-Tra Linh project, and Lang Son, which has just started construction on the Huu Nghi-Chi Lang project. Especially for projects planned to be completed by 2025, including Dong Nai in component project 1 of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau project and component project 3 of the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 project, Binh Duong in the Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3 project, and Tuyen Quang in the Tuyen Quang-Ha Giang project.
Regarding the Ben Luc-Long Thanh expressway project, the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) is making efforts to implement the project according to the set schedule. They have opened bidding for package J3-1 and are handling related procedures to start construction. At the same time, the Ministry of Transport has compiled and submitted an adjustment to the investment policy for the project.
Regarding the Long Thanh International Airport project, the construction of headquarters for state management agencies is being implemented according to the schedule. The construction of the air traffic control tower has reached 94% completion in terms of concrete and steel structure, following the set schedule.
For the passenger terminal package, the entire concrete and steel structure has been completed, and the installation of the steel roof structure is being carried out as planned. Other packages and items, such as the runway, taxiway, and two connecting roads, are being implemented to meet the plan.
The Tan Son Nhat T3 passenger terminal project has completed the concrete work and installed the steel roof system and is implementing the remaining items according to the schedule.
The Nhon-Hanoi Railway project has excavated 297 meters and installed 186 rings of the tunnel section. The Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien urban railway project continues testing until November 2024 to serve the system safety assessment and personnel training.
Regarding projects in areas affected by Super Storm No. 3, the investors have strictly implemented the Prime Minister’s and the Ministry of Transport’s official dispatches and proactively deployed prevention and control measures, so the impact was not significant, and the construction works did not cause flooding in surrounding areas. The units are currently repairing access roads, power lines, etc., to resume construction.
Prime Minister Chairs Meeting on 40 Key National Transport Projects
On the afternoon of September 17, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, head of the State Steering Committee for important national projects and key transport projects (the Steering Committee), chaired the 14th meeting of the Steering Committee.
The Prime Minister Leads Steering Committee for Developing a Proposal on Regional and International Financial Center Initiative
The Steering Committee is responsible for researching and proposing directions, tasks, and solutions for the construction and implementation of the Project for a Regional and International Financial Center. The Committee ensures that the proposed plans are feasible, effective, and adaptable to practical situations, with the ultimate goal of maximizing the potential and advantages of Vietnam.
“Sustainable Development of the Blue Economy: A Visionary Approach”
On September 16, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting at the Government Office with relevant ministries, branches, and leaders to thoroughly review the implementation of Resolution 36 on the Strategy for Sustainable Development of Vietnam’s Marine Economy by 2030, with a vision extending to 2045. The discussion also revolved around pertinent matters outlined in the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress.
Seamless Operational Restoration: An Urgent Revival
The Prime Minister has instructed ministries, sectors, and local authorities to prioritize a critical task: ensuring that no citizen goes hungry, cold, or homeless in the aftermath of the storm and floods.
