On the morning of October 16 in Can Tho City, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a conference to address difficulties and challenges, and to promote the development of transportation infrastructure in the Mekong Delta region. In attendance at the conference were Deputy Prime Ministers Tran Hong Ha and Ho Duc Phoc, along with leaders of central ministries, sectors, Ho Chi Minh City, and provinces in the Mekong Delta region...

Delayed progress due to sand shortage

In his opening remarks at the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized: The spirit of today's conference is to address difficulties where they arise, not to allow stagnation, not to allow prolongation. Tasks are assigned to be carried out according to the principle of "clear individuals, clear tasks, clear responsibilities, clear progress, clear products, clear results".

The Prime Minister requested ministries, localities, and contractors to conduct evaluations after three months (July 2024) at a meeting with the Prime Minister and central ministries, focusing on alleviating difficulties in key transportation projects being implemented in the Mekong Delta region.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaking at the conference. Photo: A.KHOA

The Prime Minister emphasized that although the Mekong Delta region has many advantages, its transportation infrastructure still faces challenges, which complicates the transport of goods, increases logistics costs, and hampers product competitiveness. Therefore, it is necessary to study and promote the industrialization and modernization of the Mekong Delta region, actively innovate, and promote decentralization to efficiently complete key transportation projects. The Prime Minister requested ministries to consider issues related to procedures, allocation of funding based on meeting the needs of localities; localities to identify material obstacles, where they are stuck to report at the conference, propose solutions for resolution.

Throughout the implementation of the projects, the Ministry of Transport and localities have consistently received regular and resolute attention and guidance from the Government, the Prime Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha. Prime Minister Chinh has personally inspected the site and worked with localities five times to provide guidance, set the direction for addressing difficulties, challenges, and promoting the progress of the projects. However, according to the Ministry of Transport, most of the expressway projects being implemented in the Mekong Delta region are behind schedule by 4% to 15% compared to the plan.

Leaders of localities speaking at the conference. Photo: A.KHOA

In his report at the conference, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Duy Lam stated that land clearance work for the expressway projects has reached over 99%, essentially meeting the construction progress. However, the Ho Chi Minh Road project is not meeting construction requirements, with the section passing through Kien Giang province reaching 56% and through Bac Lieu province reaching 82%. The Cao Lanh - Lo Te project is still facing land clearance issues at the Lo Te intersection in Can Tho City.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Duy Lam inspecting the Can Tho - Ca Mau expressway on October 15, 2024. Photo: AN CHI

According to Deputy Minister Nguyen Duy Lam, to ensure the completion of projects in accordance with the resolutions of the Party, National Assembly, Government, and the directives of the Prime Minister, investors have developed detailed plans, focused on directing contractors to mobilize maximum financial resources, manpower, and equipment, and have resolutely organized construction in “3 shifts, 4 crews”, “overcoming the sun, conquering the rain” in the spirit of the Prime Minister's guidance. As of now, contractors have mobilized a total of 450 construction sites, 6,500 workers, and 2,200 pieces of equipment suitable for construction conditions in the Mekong Delta region. Specifically, the Can Tho - Ca Mau project has mobilized 183 construction sites, 971 pieces of equipment, and 3,000 workers.

Regarding the projects, Deputy Minister Nguyen Duy Lam stated that only component project 01 of the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway, the Rach Mieu 2 bridge project, and the Dai Ngai bridge project are on schedule, with the main issue being that the sand supply for these projects does not meet the requirements. This causes significant waste of time and resources for contractors, affecting construction efficiency and project completion progress. Currently, in the Can Tho - Ca Mau project, the daily sand extraction and supply capacity only reaches 54,000 cubic meters out of 76,000 cubic meters. “Therefore, if additional materials are not supplied in time to meet the demand by October 2024, it will be very difficult to keep up with the schedule”, Deputy Minister Nguyen Duy Lam said.

Forward, not backward

In accordance with the Prime Minister's directives, localities have actively reviewed and identified a supply of 72.3 million cubic meters of river sand to meet the demand of 65 million cubic meters. To ensure the supply of sand material meets the project deadlines, based on the sand reserves of the localities in the region, implementation plans and sand requirements of each project, however, due to the prolonged procedural times and limited mining capacities, the sand mines have not met the construction requirements.

Sand mining in Tra On, Vinh Long province serving the Can Tho - Ca Mau expressway project. Photo: AN CHI

At the conference, leaders from the localities of Vinh Long, Tien Giang, Dong Thap, An Giang, Can Tho, Hau Giang, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Kien Giang, and Ben Tre highlighted the difficulties and obstacles in obtaining licenses for sand mining in both commercial mines and special regime mines regulated by the Central Government. At the same time, they also reflected that most of the mining reserves do not meet the initial assessments, some mines lack the extracted sand. Some sand mines affect riverbank erosion, requiring a full environmental impact assessment,... Localities suggested that the Government, Ministries, and Departments consider allocating additional funds in 2024 for projects in need of funds to meet the deadlines.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha surveys sand mines in Vinh Long for the Can Tho - Ca Mau expressway project, May 2024. Photo: AN CHI

According to the Ministry of Transport, funds allocated for basic projects to meet construction deadlines in 2024 include: 5.850 trillion dong for the Can Tho - Ca Mau project, 10.423 trillion dong for the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang project, 2.454 trillion dong for the Cao Lanh - An Huu project, and 1.390 trillion dong for the Ho Chi Minh road sections Rach Soi - Ben Nhat and Go Quao - Vinh Thuan. Specifically, component project 01 of the Cao Lanh - An Huu project requires an additional 250 billion dong, with Dong Thap province balancing the local funding. The Rach Mieu 2 bridge project needs an additional 1.192 trillion dong in mid-term capital for the 2021-2025 period. The Ministry of Transport has submitted a request to the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance for resolution. The disbursement progress for basic projects in 2024 has met the required benchmarks, reaching between 75% and 98%. However, component project 03 (Hau Giang) and component project 04 (Soc Trang) under the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang project are progressing slower than the general average.

Construction of the Can Tho - Ca Mau expressway. Photo: AN CHI

According to Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Do Thanh Trung, in implementing the directives of the Prime Minister, the Government, and the Ministry, the spirit is to ensure adequate funding for important transportation projects in the region. So far, public investment allocated for key transportation projects of the Ministry of Transport is about 72,000 billion dong.

In conclusion to the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized, “Today is the sixth meeting on expressways in the Mekong Delta. I propose that central ministries, departments, and localities tackle challenges as they arise, moving forward, not backward”. The Prime Minister mentioned that since we began researching expressway projects in the Mekong Delta, with many meetings, the Government has issued several documents for implementation. We have turned impossibilities into possibilities, from difficult to easy, from no roads to specific projects and many large bridges completed. From vast rice fields to modern expressways contributing to the development of the Mekong Delta. This result is a tremendous effort.

The Prime Minister emphasized that project progress must not be delayed and that the goal of having 3,000 km of expressways by 2025, including 207 km in the Mekong Delta, must be achieved. He urged localities to address challenges as they arise, avoid stagnation, and report to higher authorities if issues exceed their jurisdiction. According to the plan, the Mekong Delta region has 6 expressways, with a total length of 1,200km. Therefore, by 2025, how can we ensure that 550km of expressways in the Mekong Delta are put into operation, and by 2030, we have 1,200km. Prolonged projects waste resources, so we must act in response to the needs of the people and the development requirements of the Mekong Delta. Once completed, projects must deliver tangible products and specific results. “Transportation must lead the way to pave the path for the stronger development of the Mekong Delta. We need the highest level of political determination”, the Prime Minister emphasized.

Construction of the Can Tho - Ca Mau expressway, Can Tho - Hau Giang section on October 15, 2024. Photo: AN CHI