PM kicks off construction of southern coastal road

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on May 14 issued an order to kick off construction of the Minh Luong-Thu Bay section and the Rach Gia bypass as part of the southern coastal corridor road project in Chau Thanh district, the southern province of Kien Giang.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, PM Dung emphasised the extremely important significance of the project for Kien Giang province in its development.

As part of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) co-operation programme, the project aims to set up an international road linking important economic zones of Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand with other ASEAN countries. It will create conditions for the region’s economic development as well as security and defence, and help reduce poverty for border provinces in southwestern Vietnam.

The 950km-long route, which begins in Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok, runs through Cambodia and finishes in Ca Mau city, will be built at a cost of US$398 million sourced from preferential loans of the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Asian Development Bank; non-refundable aid of the Australian government and reciprocal capital of the Vietnamese government.

Once operational, the road is expected to facilitate travels and goods circulation in the region and open up possibilities for exporting goods to Cambodia through the Ha Tien International Border Gate in Kien Giang province.

Together with the Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong expressway, Can Tho and Rach Mieu Bridges, Southern Hau River and Quan Lo-Phung Hiep routes, the southern coastal corridor route will form an extensive and uninterrupted road system that helps the Mekong Delta take off.