Ba Ria-Vung Tau to speed up key national projects

HCM City (VNA) - The southern coastal province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau has asked the Government to allocate capital from the central budget to speed up progress of national key projects in the province over the next five years.

Of the 16 major public-invested projects, three of the most important projects are the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau expressway, Phuoc An Bridge and 991B Road, according to the provincial People’s Committee.

Nguyen Van Tho, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the three national key projects would connect the southern key economic region with the Cai Mep – Thi Vai deep water port, a key port in the region. 

“The port system can receive large container vessels of up to 200,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) and is capable of international goods transport, which allows direct export to the EU and the US without transshipment, reducing logistics costs and improving the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods,” he said.

The expressway, connecting Bien Hoa City in Dong Nai and Ba Ria City in Ba Ria - Vung Tau, is expected to be completed and opened to traffic by 2025.

The province said it had asked the PM to approve the pre-feasibility study for the first phase of the project, which will be implemented under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) investment model.

To build the expressway, around 34.2km of the road will be built in Dong Nai and 19.5km in Ba Ria-Vung Tau. 

The project requires an estimated investment of 23.07 trillion VND (995.5 million USD), according to the provincial People’s Committee.

The province proposed that 9.95 trillion VND should be sourced from the State budget to fund site clearance and construction of the section in the province, and that 13.125 trillion VND should come from the private sector.

The developer of the project will mobilise the remainder from its own budget and bank loans. To recover capital, the investor will be allowed to collect toll fees from road users for about 25 years.

The expressway is expected to ease traffic congestion on National Highway 51, and facilitate travel between Dong Nai and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces and HCM City and the southern key economic zone. 

Another national key project is the Phuoc An Bridge, which will connect the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex with the Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway. 

The 4.3-km bridge will be built in Phu My Town in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and Nhon Trach district in Dong Nai province. 

The bridge is expected to cost 4.88 trillion VND. The province has asked for an allocation of 50 percent of the cost (2.4 trillion VND) from the central government budget over the next five years.  

In addition, the 991B road is an important project with a total cost of 3.95 trillion VND, of which the central government has already allocated 920 billion VND. The province has asked the government to arrange an additional 2.22 trillion VND over the next five years.

Call for investment in 23 projects

In addition to 16 key public-invested projects, the province is calling for investment in 23 national key projects, according to a report from the provincial People’s Committee.

These projects include ports, cultural parks, airports, roads, inspection centres, tourism services, and urban area works.

Of the 23 projects, nine land plots will seek investment through auction of land-use rights and public property auctions, including one that has already been successfully auctioned.

In addition, the province has added the April 30th Park in Ba Ria City and a national grid system for Con Dao district to the list of key projects that need speeding up.

Pham Viet Thanh, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, said the province would choose qualified and reputable investors to carry out the projects. 

“Relevant localities and agencies must follow the progress of each of the key projects and remove difficulties in a timely way and deal with arising problems,” he noted.  

With a coastal line of over 30km, Ba Ria-Vung Tau serves as the country’s major trade gateway due to its proximity to industrial zones, port complex, major highways, and transshipment routes. 

Located on the southeastern coast, the province is one of the leading foreign direct investment (FDI) sites in Vietnam./.