Vietnam’s Former Largest Province Set to Launch 60km, $1 Billion Highway Project

The Department of Construction of Nghe An has announced that following the National Assembly’s approval, the province has officially concluded the deployment of the Vinh – Thanh Thuy Expressway project.

According to the plan, Nghe An aims to commence the Vinh – Thanh Thuy Expressway before April 30, 2026. To ensure this timeline, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Vo Trong Hai has tasked the Department of Construction with expediting the completion of legal procedures. Additionally, the department must finalize the route plan by January 16 for handover to local authorities to facilitate land clearance.

Simultaneously, the Department of Agriculture and Environment is responsible for securing materials for the construction of resettlement areas and the road. Relevant departments are to advise on selecting capable contractors to ensure project quality and timely completion.

The specific timeline includes completing inventory, pricing, and compensation by April 30; finishing the construction of resettlement areas by June 30; and organizing resettlement for affected households by the end of August 2026.

The Vinh – Thanh Thuy Expressway spans approximately 60 km, connecting the North-South Eastern Expressway at Hung Nguyen commune to the Thanh Thuy Border Gate Economic Zone, passing through nine communes.

The project is designed with a complete 4-lane scale; the road foundation, bridges, and sections of excavation and embankment are designed for a 6-lane scale, with land clearance within a 6-lane scope. The total investment is expected to be nearly 24,000 billion VND, with implementation from 2025 to 2029.

The project is divided into 10 sub-projects, including one main route construction project and nine compensation, support, and resettlement projects.

For the main route construction, the Nghe An Department of Construction commits to fully implementing all steps as required, ensuring the project begins on April 30 as directed by provincial leadership. The remaining nine sub-projects are assigned to communes as investors, directly responsible for compensation, support, and resettlement.

Regarding land clearance, the entire route primarily affects agricultural land, forestry land (including protective forests), residential land, and a portion of defense land, production land, business land, and water surfaces.

The project impacts 210 households with residential land, of which 113 require resettlement in 10 resettlement areas across six communes; the remaining three communes do not require resettlement.

Upon completion, the Vinh – Thanh Thuy Expressway will significantly reduce travel time from the center of Nghe An province to the Thanh Thuy border gate, facilitating goods transportation, lowering logistics costs, and boosting border trade. Additionally, the road is expected to attract investment in industrial zones, services, and logistics within the border gate economic zone.

Notably, this project is part of the future Hanoi – Vientiane Expressway. The development of this modern transportation axis will enhance international transport capacity and strengthen economic ties between Vietnam and Laos in the long term.