Proposed 14km Extension to Accelerate Son Hai Group’s “Most Beautiful Mountain Highway in Vietnam” Before 2030

The Ministry of Finance has recently issued an official dispatch to the Ministry of Construction and the People’s Committees of Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong provinces, seeking their input on the Nha Trang – Da Lat Expressway project under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

This project is expected to play a pivotal role in establishing a horizontal transportation axis connecting the Central Highlands region with the South Central Coast. It will seamlessly link with the Dau Giay – Lien Khuong Expressway (CT.27) and integrate effectively with existing longitudinal routes.

Previously, in late September 2025, the People’s Committee of Khanh Hoa Province submitted a document clarifying and elaborating on various aspects of the investment in the Nha Trang – Da Lat Expressway project. The proposed route from Nha Trang to Da Lat and Lien Khuong spans approximately 99 km, an increase of 14 km compared to the Road Network Plan for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, approved by the Prime Minister on September 1, 2021. Additionally, they recommended expediting the investment process to complete the project before 2030.

In response to these proposals, the Ministry of Finance has requested the People’s Committee of Khanh Hoa Province to collaborate with the Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the People’s Committee of Lam Dong Province to clearly define the starting and ending points of the route, ensuring seamless integration with the existing transportation network.

Furthermore, the Ministry urged a detailed explanation of the necessity and investment efficiency of extending the route by 14 km beyond the planned Nha Trang – Lien Khuong Expressway (CT.25) and accelerating the investment in the Nha Trang – Da Lat segment of the CT.25 Expressway before 2030. They also requested clarification on the conditions for selecting the PPP investment model for submission to the Prime Minister for approval.

Regarding implementation authority, the Ministry of Finance cited Decree 243, which stipulates that for PPP projects utilizing state capital, provincial People’s Committees and line ministries must fulfill the responsibilities of the competent authority or coordinate with provincial People’s Committees to designate a competent authority (without seeking the Prime Minister’s opinion from ministries). However, provincial People’s Committees must report to the Provincial People’s Council before agreeing to assign a locality as the competent authority.

The Ministry has requested Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong provinces to report to their respective Provincial People’s Councils to agree on designating one party as the lead. In case of disagreement, they should seek the opinion of the Ministry of Construction before proceeding with subsequent steps.

Concerning funding, Khanh Hoa Province has proposed a state capital requirement of approximately 16,300 billion VND, equivalent to 65% of the preliminary total investment. This includes a central budget allocation of over 15,000 billion VND for the 2026–2030 period, with the remaining nearly 1,200 billion VND sourced from local budgets.

However, the Ministry of Finance noted the absence of a basis for assessing the central budget’s balancing capacity, as the public investment plan for this period has not yet been approved by the competent authority. Additionally, the demand for central public investment capital exceeds the balancing capacity, while the budget must prioritize key projects and national target programs, making support for other projects challenging.

“Therefore, we urge Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong provinces to maximize their local autonomy, prioritize capital allocation, and increase the proportion of local budget capital, thereby reducing the central budget’s share in the project,” stated the Ministry of Finance.

Previously, in October 2024, the People’s Committees of Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong provinces submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister, suggesting the implementation of the Nha Trang – Da Lat Expressway project under the PPP model.

According to the project documents, the route begins in Dien Tho Commune (Khanh Hoa), intersecting with the North-South Eastern Expressway, and ends at the Darahoa intersection (Lam Dong), with a total length of 80.8 km (44 km in Khanh Hoa and 36.8 km in Lam Dong). The expressway will be constructed in one phase with a complete 4-lane design and a roadbed width of 22–24.75 meters. The total investment exceeds 25,000 billion VND, including construction costs of nearly 18,900 billion VND. The project is slated for preparation in 2024–2025, groundbreaking in 2026, and completion by 2028.

Notably, during a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on September 4, 2024, Mr. Nguyen Viet Hai, Chairman of Son Hai Group, affirmed that Son Hai Group is determined to participate in this project with the goal of creating Vietnam’s most beautiful mountain-crossing expressway.

Chairman Nguyen Viet Hai emphasized the complexity of the route and proposed solutions such as elevated bridges, retaining walls, precast bridges, and tunnels to minimize forest impact. This approach is expected to reduce forest area affected by 30%, equivalent to 125 hectares.