by Trinh Anh Duc
31-1-2001
14 major bridge and road projects to start in 2001
The Transport and Communications Ministry will start work on construction of 14 major projects in 2001. These include the Thanh Tri bridge and a belt-line of Hanoi, the Can Tho, Bai Chay, Kien and Binh bridges, ten railway bridges, 38 bridges in the Mekong delta, the Yen Lenh bridge, the Can Tho-Nam Can section of the Highway 1, the Hoa Binh-Son La section of the Highway 6, the Highway 9 (second phase), the Tien Sa port of Da Nang, the Haiphong port (second phase), two water lines in southern provinces and the Can Tho port. Deputy Minister Nguyen Viet Tien said the ministry had submitted to the government its 2001 plan with a total capital of VND 12,178 billion (US $869 million), including VND 10,068 billion from the State budget, VND 1,566 billion from the preferential credit capital, and VND 504 billion from BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) capital. The monies would be also spent on improving 1,900 kilometres of asphalt road, 11.3 kilometres of bridge, 70 kilometres of railway, 10 railway bridges, four tunnels through the Hai Van pass and 400 metres of wharf.In 2001, the ministry would push up the construction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Hai Van tunnel, the Cai Lan port, the road section from Vinh to Nha Trang on Highway 1, and Highways 10 and 18.
ADB Helps Viet Nam to Rehabiliate Distaster-Damaged Infrastructure
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved aid worth USD 58.5 million to help Viet Nam rehabilitate their disaster-damaged infrastructure in the Mekong delta and the northern central region. The amount is part of a USD 73.5 million project for restoring schools, medical stations, roads and bridges in the regions. The Vietnamese Government will supply the remainder. The ADB said the floods from July to early December 2000 in nine Mekong delta provinces inundated almost one million ha and seriously damaged infrastructure in the provinces, thus badly affecting more than 6.5 million people. Meanwhile, tropical storm Wukong bronght havoc to several northern central provinces, particularly Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Quang Binh and Thanh Hoa in September. More than 800 houses were destroyed and 4,000 were damaged. The damage caused by the floods in the Mekong delta provinces from July to early December 2000 was estimated at USD 270 million and the rehabilitation of essential infrastructure was estimated to be more than USD 130 million.
Upgrade of Hon Gia-Cua Ong Section of Highway 18 Starts
Upgrading of the Hon Gai-Cua Ong section of Highway 18A started on January 6. The work is being supervised by the Transport and Telecommunications Ministry's Project Management Unit 18. The section is the last of a bidding package for the upgrade of Highway 18 using Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) and State revenue. Hon Gai-Cua Ong section in the northern-border province of Quang Ninh is 36.4 km-long and will be widened from 12 m to 19 m. The VND 185 billion (USD 12 million) project will be carried out in 12 months by China's Shenyang International Economic and Technological Cooperation Corporation and the Defence Ministry's Construction Company 319. Thirteen small bridges and a medium-sized bridge with a combined length of 268 m will be built on the section.
ADB bankrolls upgrade for northern roads
The Manila-based Asian Development Bank said it would provide a US$ 50 million prerferential loan to upgrade roads in 18 northern provinces as part of a bid to improve economic performance in the region. The Ministry of Transport who announced the new funding, said it would soon complete selection of around 500km of roads' from a total of 8,000km, that would suit phase one of the project's upgrade work. Under the project, upgrades would start early in 2002 and be completed by the end of that year, with 'each province having around 30km of its transport routes brought up to standard. The second phase of the project would call on capital contributions from other donors besides the Asia Development Bank (ADB). The bank had already made available a $1 million non-refundable technical assistance aid to evaluate the socio-economic conditions and causes of poverty in the provinces in order to develop appropriate plans and establish the scale of investments required by communities involved in the project. A joint study into the region was launched late in 2000 by US company Wilbur Smith Associates and Viet Nam's Transport Engineering Design Incorporation, in conjunction with authorities in the 18 provinces. The study was expected to be finished by July. The ministry said that final signing of the project loan agreement between the Government and the ADB would depend on the results of the study. The 18 northern provinces have a combined total of around 116,000 km of roads, more than half of which are unsealed, with another 8,000km considered to be in very bad condition. The ADB had already granted $380 million to Viet Nam to upgrade 996km of National Highway I and 1,000km of smaller roads. The upgraded National Highway I portion accounts for more than one-third of the Trans-Viet road which runs from the northern-most province of Lang Son to the southernmost province of Ca Mau.
British-funded rural road project underway
Construction of a US$1 million rural road project started in central coastal Ninh Thuan province on January 13 with funding from World Bank loans and British non-refundable aid. The project, consisting of seven road sections, has a combined length of 55 kilometres with two bridges totalling 110 metres. It is the first of a series of rural and mountain road projects proposed for Ninh Thuan province as part of its programme to ensure all-year-round vehicle accessibility between communes.
Viet Nam Development Information Centre Opens
The Viet Nam Development Information Centre (VDIC) intended to boost mutual understanding between Viet Nam and the world officially opened in Ha Noi on January 4. Viet Nam can acquire latest information from the world and the world can learn about Viet Nam through the VDIC. The centre was established with funds from Australian, Canadian, Danish, and Japanese Governments, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank. VDIC includes a bookshop and a library complete with computers, CD-ROMs and TV link equipment.