“The Miraculous Machine” Propels Son Hai Corporation’s Lightning-Fast Construction of Vietnam’s $500 Million Highway Segment

The Van Phong – Nha Trang Expressway, part of the North-South Eastern Expressway, spans 83.35 km. Its starting point (Km285+000) connects to the southern entrance of the Co Ma Tunnel in Van Ninh District, Khanh Hoa Province, while its endpoint (Km368+350) links to the beginning of the Nha Trang – Cam Lam section.

With a total investment of 11,808.02 billion VND, funded by the state budget and the Socio-Economic Recovery and Development Program, the project includes two construction packages. In Package XL02, Son Hai Group Co., Ltd. constructed the segment from Km345+620 to Km368+350, along with eight bridges, totaling 22.73 km. The executed value of this package is 2,278 billion VND.

As of April 19, 2025, 70 out of the 83.35 km of the Van Phong – Nha Trang section have been completed and opened for traffic. Project Management Unit 7 is currently finalizing legal procedures, with plans to open the remaining 13 km in October 2025.

Package XL02 was completed and handed over to the management unit for operation on April 18, 2025, 190 days ahead of schedule. This achievement highlights the exceptional construction capabilities of domestic contractors.

To achieve this, Son Hai’s construction site operated non-stop. Mr. Nguyen Van Huy, Deputy Director of Son Hai Group, stated on VGP: “We organized continuous on-site construction with ‘3 shifts, 4 teams,’ working through the Tet holiday with over 700 workers operating 24/7 using the latest global technologies.”

One of the technologies employed by Son Hai is the automatic molding machine for median strips, which produces concrete barriers on-site using the Power Curber 5700-D, manufactured in the USA and the world’s best-selling model.

This machine is designed for casting curbs, constructing rigid median strips up to 1.5m high on expressways, national highways, provincial roads, urban roads, and industrial zones. It can also lay concrete pavements (up to 2m wide beside or 3m wide in the middle), create drainage channels, and perform various other functions.

The Power Curber 5700-D is praised for its perfect blend of power and speed. Its compact design ensures ease of maintenance and safer operation.

Under human control, the machine moves steadily along the road, producing seamless concrete median strips with consistent quality and high aesthetic appeal. This not only saves construction time but also enhances productivity, making median strip construction on expressways simpler than ever.

From the Van Phong – Nha Trang Expressway site, Engineer Nguyen Thanh Dong told the Government Electronic Newspaper: “By applying new automatic median strip construction technology, we achieve greater efficiency and safety with fully imported machinery.”

By adopting new construction technologies, Son Hai Group successfully completed Package XL02 190 days ahead of schedule. This demonstrates not only speed but also the “comprehensive organizational capability” of Son Hai, encompassing land, materials, technology, and human resources.

This is clear evidence that domestic contractors are approaching international standards in handling large-scale infrastructure projects, capable of competing with foreign contractors in strategic national projects in the future.