On the morning of December 17th, the Construction Newspaper hosted a seminar titled “Momentum from 3,000km of Expressways.” Deputy Minister of Construction Lê Anh Tuấn attended and delivered a keynote address. The event drew participation from leading transportation enterprises, all of which have made significant contributions to Vietnam’s breakthrough investments in expressway development.
At the seminar, Mr. Phạm Văn Khôi, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Phuong Thanh Traffic Construction Investment Corporation, stated: “Achieving 3,000km of expressways isn’t solely the result of contractors’ efforts. It’s also due to the Party’s sound guidance, the National Assembly’s attention, the Prime Minister’s decisive leadership, and the synchronized efforts of ministries, sectors, and localities.”
Mr. Phạm Văn Khôi, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Phuong Thanh Traffic Construction Investment Corporation.
Mr. Khôi added, “As the saying goes, ‘Fire tests gold, hardship tests strength.’ After completing the north-south expressway routes, we’re now focusing on east-west and radial routes. Each project presents valuable lessons, forging our resilience, experience, and enhancing our equipment, financial capabilities, and expertise.
The opportunities for contractors are vast. On December 19th alone, over 240 projects totaling 2.2 million billion VND will be launched or inaugurated.
Our concern isn’t a lack of work, but rather ensuring we can complete the ambitious goals set by the Party and Government for the next five years. The projected workload is four to five times greater than the previous term, requiring companies to double or triple in size and significantly increase their capacity.
We urge the Party and Government to create a more conducive business environment, particularly in workforce development, which is crucial for project success. Additionally, streamlining local material sourcing mechanisms is essential.
By leveraging technology and AI in management, we’re confident productivity will soar, leading to new achievements.
Phuong Thanh is involved in four expressway projects, two in each phase, including Vung Ang – Bung and Van Phong – Nha Trang.
The Vung Ang – Bung project, spanning 25km, presented significant challenges due to terrain, geology, and material sourcing.
Despite completing over 10 million cubic meters of excavation and 6 million cubic meters of embankment, the Gianh River section (Km612) posed a unique challenge. To reduce costs, consultants proposed sandpile foundation treatment, requiring yellow sand.
While yellow sand, especially coarse sand, is abundant near the Gianh River, local mining permits only allow 10,000 cubic meters annually, far short of the project’s 300,000 cubic meter requirement. This necessitated a material mining license application.
Despite local government approval, community opposition hindered mining, causing delays.
During a site inspection, then-Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang questioned, “Why is sourcing a few thousand cubic meters of sand here so difficult when millions can be mobilized elsewhere?” This dilemma plagued Phuong Thanh throughout the project.
To meet deadlines, the contractor switched from sandpile to soil treatment, incurring an additional 40 billion VND in costs, fully borne by the company. This decision, approved by authorities, ensured project completion six months ahead of schedule.
Despite financial setbacks, we upheld our commitment and reputation.
To accelerate future projects, we seek greater flexibility in technology selection and application.
Vietnamese companies are actively adopting global technologies but face regulatory hurdles, such as technology testing and pricing. For instance, Phuong Thanh took six years to implement porous asphalt concrete technology.
We advocate for policies enabling faster technology integration into project execution.”
