A Bold Proposal: The Son Hai Group’s Unprecedented Offer to the Prime Minister

Sơn Hải Group Proposes to Invest in Completing 263 km of the North-South Expressway in the East

According to Dau Tu newspaper on June 2nd, Mr. Nguyen Viet Hai, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Son Hai Group Joint Stock Company, officially sent a proposal to the Prime Minister regarding the investment in expanding and completing 263 km of the North-South Expressway from Hoai Nhon to Nha Trang, using 100% investor capital.

In the proposal, Son Hai Group requested to be assigned as the main investor, coordinating with other capable investors to research and invest in completing the projects of the North-South Expressway in the East, including the Hoai Nhon-Quy Nhon, Quy Nhon-Chi Thanh, Chi Thanh-Van Phong, and Van Phong-Nha Trang sections. The total length of this route is 263 km, and it is expected to be implemented through the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

Son Hai Group commits to arranging the entire capital source for the project, including owner’s equity and other legal capital mobilization, without using the state budget. The Group also commits to self-organizing the construction with a progress of no more than 24 months from the approval of the project and providing a 10-year quality warranty.

Previously, in Notice No. 266/TB-VPCP, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha assigned the Ministry of Construction to fully absorb the opinions of ministries and sectors to perfect the investment plan for expanding the North-South Expressway sections in the East through the PPP mode or the franchise mode combined with upgrading and expanding assets according to the planning, while not implementing the traditional public investment mode.

The Deputy Prime Minister also requested Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) to urgently propose an investment plan for upgrading and expanding the North-South Expressway sections in the East, which can be entirely chaired by VEC or coordinated with state-owned enterprises, domestic private enterprises, along with proposing accompanying mechanisms and policies. The proposal must be sent to the Ministry of Construction before June 2, 2025.

The Ministry of Construction is assigned to organize the evaluation and comparison of investment plans to advise the Prime Minister on choosing the most optimal and effective plan, with a completed report before June 5, 2025.

What projects are included in the 263 km from Hoai Nhon to Nha Trang?

Hoai Nhon – Quy Nhon

The Hoai Nhon-Quy Nhon Expressway is 69 km long, with its starting point at the intersection of Provincial Road 639 in Bong Son ward, Hoai Nhon town, Binh Dinh province, connecting with the Quang Ngai-Hoai Nhon Expressway, and its endpoint at the intersection of National Highway 19 in Nhon Hoa ward, An Nhon town, connecting with the Quy Nhon-Chi Thanh Expressway.

In the first phase, the expressway will be invested with 4 lanes without emergency lanes, with some emergency stops arranged at a distance of 4-5km/1 stop, a width of 17m, and a maximum speed of 80-90 km/h. In the completion phase, it will have 6 lanes with a road width of 32.25m and a maximum speed of 120 km/h.

The project has a total investment of more than VND 12,400 billion and was started on January 1, 2023. The expected completion time is by the end of 2025.

Quy Nhon – Chi Thanh

Quy Nhon-Chi Thanh Expressway is 61.7 km long (not including the overlapping section with Cu Mong Tunnel), of which the section passing through Binh Dinh is about 19.6 km long, and the section passing through Phu Yen is about 42.1 km long. It starts at the intersection of National Highway 19, connecting with the Hoai Nhon-Quy Nhon Expressway in Nhon Hoa ward, An Nhon town, Binh Dinh province, and ends at Chi Thanh intersection, connecting with the Chi Thanh-Van Phong Expressway in Chi Thanh town, Tuy An district, Phu Yen province.

In the first phase, the road will have a cross-section meeting the standards of a 4-lane expressway without emergency lanes, with some emergency stops arranged at a distance of 4-5km/1 stop, a road width of 17m, and a design speed of 80-90 km/h. In the completion phase, it will have 6 lanes, 2 emergency lanes, and a design speed of 120 km/h.

The project has a total investment of VND 14,802 billion and was started on January 1, 2023, expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Previously, the Cu Mong Tunnel of the project was completed and put into operation in 2019.

Chi Thanh – Van Phong

The Chi Thanh-Van Phong Expressway is 48.052 km long, starting at Chi Thanh intersection in Chi Thanh town, Tuy An district, Phu Yen province, connecting with the Quy Nhon-Chi Thanh Expressway, and ending at the intersection with National Highway 1 in Hoa Xuan Nam ward, Dong Hoa town, Phu Yen province, connecting with the northern tunnel approach road of Deo Ca Tunnel and Van Phong-Nha Trang Expressway.

In the first phase, the road will have a cross-section meeting the standards of a 4-lane expressway without emergency lanes, with some emergency stops arranged at a distance of 4-5km/1 stop, a road width of 17m, and a design speed of 80-90 km/h. In the completion phase, it will have 6 lanes, 2 emergency lanes, and a design speed of 120 km/h.

The line includes a mountain tunnel, Tuy An Tunnel, passing through An Cu commune, Tuy An district, Phu Yen province, with a length of about 1,020m. In the first phase, only one tunnel on the right side in the direction of Van Phong to Tuy Hoa will be operated, and the other tunnel will be used as a rescue tunnel.

The project has a total investment of VND 10,773 billion, started on January 1, 2023, and is expected to be constructed within 34 months.

Van Phong – Nha Trang

The Van Phong-Nha Trang Expressway is 83 km long, with its starting point at the intersection with National Highway 1 in Van Tho ward, Van Ninh district, Khanh Hoa province, connecting with the southern tunnel approach road of Co Ma Tunnel and Chi Thanh-Van Phong Expressway, and its endpoint at the intersection with National Highway 27C in Dien Tho ward, Dien Khanh district, Khanh Hoa province, connecting with the Nha Trang-Cam Lam Expressway.

In the first phase, the road will have a cross-section meeting the standards of a 4-lane expressway without emergency lanes, with some emergency stops arranged at a distance of 4-5km/1 stop, a road width of 17m, and a maximum speed of 90 km/h. In the completion phase, it will have 6 lanes, 2 emergency lanes, and a design speed of 120 km/h.

The project has a total investment of VND 11,808 billion, started on January 1, 2023, and officially inaugurated and put into operation on the occasion of April 30. The section from Van Gia intersection to Dien Tho intersection (connecting with National Highway 27C) was opened to traffic, and the section from Van Gia intersection to Van Phong intersection is expected to be opened before June 30, 2025.