Developed on the build-transfer (BT) basis, the 4-lane La Son-Tuy Loan route is part of the 3,183 km-long Ho Chi Minh Highway which runs through a total of 28 Vietnamese localities. However, the contruction of this route is facing some obstacles relating to site clearance and compensation work.

Stretching a total of 77.6 km, the route begins in La Son Town, Phu Loc District, Thua Thien-Hue Province, and ends at the intersection with the Da Nang-Quang Ngai Expressway in Da Nang’s Tuy Loan Village.

Work started on the over 11 trillion VND La Son-Tuy Loan project in 2015.

The project costs are loaned by the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU) which is Japan’s largest bank.

The early completion of this project will help to promote its functionality in expanding the transport links amongst key central regional economic hubs, boosting the city’s socio-economic progress, and ensuring closer links with other localities in Central Viet Nam, and the country as a whole.

However, as part of this project, the clearance for the upgrade of the 11.5km-long Hoa Lien-Tuy Loan section, known as the Nam Hai Van bypass, has yet to date to complete.

During his recent working session with the Da Nang leaders, Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho said, by early 2020, the Hai Van road tunnel No 2 will have been put into operation, and vehicles, of course, will travel along this ‘bottleneck’ Hoa Lien-Tuy Loan section.

Moreover, as for transport infrastructure planning, the national government has already given a nod for the construction of the Lien Chieu mega-port. The city’s logistics industry, therefore, also relies on this section to operate.

According to the latest figures released by the Traffic Police Division of the Da Nang Police Department, in the first half of this year, 4 people were killed and 4 others injured in 6 road traffic accidents on the Hoa Lien-Tuy Loan route.

Still worse, in the face of delays in site clearance and compensation along the Hoa Lien-Tuy Loan section, the progress of the whole La Son-Tuy Loan project has been adversely affected. The project has paid loan interests totalling 132 million US$ to the investors to date.

Minister of Transport Tho agreed with the city leaders about an urgent need to report all obstacles to the progress of La Son-Tuy Loan Expressway to national government for consideration.

The top priority should be given to promtly carry out site clearance and compensation work along the 11.5km-long Hoa Lien-Tuy Loan section.