The Ho Chi Minh Road Project Management Board recently reported to the Ministry of Construction that, as of the end of August, only one of the three sections under construction is on track for completion. The 74-km Chon Thanh - Duc Hoa section has reached 77% completion and is expected to be finished in 2025 as planned.

However, the 28-km Cho Chu - Nga Ba Trung Son section, after over a year of construction, has only reached about 28% completion. While 94% of the land has been acquired, the ongoing heavy rains in the region are hindering progress. Despite contractors working to make up for lost time, completing this section in 2025 remains challenging.

Machinery and equipment gathered at the Cho Chu - Nga Ba Trung Son project site on the groundbreaking day, 7/6/2024. Photo: Phuong Linh

Machinery and equipment gathered at the Cho Chu - Nga Ba Trung Son project site on the groundbreaking day, 7/6/2024. Photo: Phuong Linh

The 55-km Rach Soi - Ben Nhat and Go Quao - Vinh Thuan section, which began construction in 3/2024, has reached approximately 44% completion. According to the project management board, at the time of groundbreaking, only a little over 8 km of land had been handed over, delaying construction. By 9/2024, local authorities had handed over more land, bringing the total to over 95%. However, almost 2.5 km and a bridge location are still pending land acquisition, and some technical infrastructure remains to be relocated.

Regarding materials, the project coincides with other key projects in the area, making it difficult for localities to allocate material quarries. In 3/2025, Dong Thap province granted a mining license for the Hoa Hung 1 quarry with reserves of over 1.8 million m3, but with a daily extraction capacity of only 650,000 m3. Contractors have sourced commercial materials to continue construction. As of 8/22, over one million m3 of sand had been delivered to the project, out of a total requirement of 2.3 million m3.

The Ho Chi Minh Road Project Management Board stated it will continue to coordinate with local authorities to complete land acquisition procedures. They aim to hand over all necessary land for the Rach Soi - Ben Nhat and Go Quao - Vinh Thuan sections in September and for the Cho Chu - Nga Ba Trung Son section in October. The board has also requested the Ministry of Construction to consider and report to higher authorities a request to extend the completion deadline for these two sections to 2026.

The Ho Chi Minh Road, spanning 2,744 km from Pac Bo (Cao Bang) to Dat Mui (Ca Mau), is designed for two to four lanes. To date, 2,499 km of the main route (91%) and about 258 km of branch routes have been completed, with 245 km currently under construction. The government's goal is to open the entire route in 2025.

Anh Duy