“Proposal for a Special Mechanism to Expand the HCMC-Long Thanh Expressway to Commence on August 19th”

In a report on the implementation of the expansion project of the HCMC-Long Thanh highway section as an emergency construction project, the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) stated that after being assigned by the Government as the managing agency, VEC has submitted a document to the Ministry of Finance proposing the structure of state budget capital sources for investment in the project, with specific calculations for financial plans and feasibility in terms of capital balance of the enterprise.

Large-scale project with complex construction conditions

According to VEC, this is a large-scale project with complex technical requirements and construction conditions (a minimum of 8 months of soil treatment for 10km of weak soil, 12km of bridges, construction while ensuring traffic on the expressway…).

If the project is implemented in accordance with the regulations and procedures stipulated in the laws on public investment, construction, and bidding, the project (including cases of applying the method of selecting contractors in special cases) will need to go through 3 steps before construction can begin: approval of investment policy; approval of investment project; approval of construction drawings and estimates as a basis for selecting construction contractors.

With this procedure, the project is expected to commence on November 1, 2025, with substantial completion by December 2026. The Long Thanh Bridge will be completed and put into use by June 2027.

Among these tasks, the most critical one for determining the project’s progress is the environmental impact assessment, as the project passes through the territories of two localities.

Commencement on August 19 if procedures are streamlined

With the goal of commencing the project on August 19 to celebrate the 80th anniversary of National Day on September 2, VEC, based on its study of the current legal regulations, proposes that the Government leaders consider and decide to allow the application of 5 special mechanisms for the implementation of the expansion project of the HCMC-Long Thanh highway section.

First, allow VEC to apply the abbreviated direct appointment procedure.

Second, allow VEC to carry out the following procedures simultaneously: survey and project development; development of construction drawings and estimates; contractor selection; construction and other necessary tasks.

Third, the Prime Minister decides to separate the site clearance work into independent sub-projects and assign Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai to implement them. VEC will arrange capital for payment and settlement according to the needs and progress proposed by the localities.

Fourth, the local authorities where the project passes through should prioritize support in determining and agreeing on the location of waste dumps, material yards, temporary wharves, temporary locations for the installation of asphalt and cement concrete mixing stations, and permit procedures during the construction phase; pay attention to arranging sources of materials to ensure sufficient supply for the project during the construction phase.

Fifth, VEC proposes that in case of force majeure (shortage of construction materials, difficulties in site clearance, natural disasters, epidemics…), the Government allows for adjustments to the project duration for the affected parts.

In case the Prime Minister decides to apply the form of emergency construction project and allow the application of the above special mechanisms, the project will have 5 advantages: no need for investment policy approval; immediate implementation of survey work, development and approval of the feasibility study report (no need for an environmental impact assessment report), appraisal of the feasibility study report by specialized construction agencies for project approval; immediate implementation of site clearance work, staking out the site clearance area.

At the same time, the survey and construction drawing design work (2 steps) will be carried out simultaneously with the development and approval of the project; approval of construction drawings will be carried out for each work item/construction item to organize immediate implementation on the site, design and construction at the same time; selection of construction contractors is carried out simultaneously with the development of construction drawings, shortening the construction time.

In this case, it is expected that the project approval will be completed in July 2025; approval of construction drawings by parts/items from August 8; selection of construction contractors on August 13; commencement of the project on August 19, 2025.

According to this roadmap, the section from Vanh Dai 2 Junction to Vanh Dai 3 Junction (Km4+000 – Km8+844.5) will be expanded from 4 lanes to 8 lanes, with a construction period of 13 months and completion in September 2026.

The section from Vanh Dai 3 Junction to Bien Hoa – Vung Tau Expressway Junction (Km8+844.5 – Km25+920, excluding Long Thanh Bridge) will be expanded from 4 lanes to 10 lanes, with a construction period of 14 months and completion in October 2026.

As for the Long Thanh Bridge, it will take 20 months to build, with the main span completed in December 2026 and the remaining items completed in March 2027.

“Thus, in the case of investment in the form of an emergency construction project and the application of a number of special mechanisms and support mechanisms, it is possible to shorten the time by 2.5 months to start on August 19 and basically complete in 2026”, said VEC.

It is known that, based on VEC’s proposal, the Government Office recently (May 16) issued Document No. 4279 to the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Construction, and VEC to convey the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, assigning the Ministry of Finance to take the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Construction and related agencies to consider and report to the Prime Minister before May 21, 2025.