The Ministry of Construction has proposed upgrading more than a dozen four-lane sections of the eastern North–South Expressway to six lanes, with a preliminary total investment of more than VNĐ152 trillion (around US$6 billion), to meet growing transport demand and improve road safety.
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The Vũng Áng–Bùng section of the eastern North–South Expressway was officially opened to traffic on August 19. — VNA/VNS
In a recent report to the Government, the ministry recommended widening 18 sections of the expressway under a public–private partnership (PPP) model.
According to the master plan, the eastern North–South Expressway will stretch about 2,055km, with a design scale of six to 12 lanes. To date, 1,652km have been opened to traffic.
By the end of 2025, about 1,222km of the expressway will still have four lanes, including sections such as Hữu Nghị Border Gate–Chi Lăng (43km), Mai Sơn–Cam Lộ (465km), Quảng Ngãi–Phan Thiết (580km) and Mỹ Thuận–Cà Mau (134km).
To prioritise investment and ease implementation, the ministry proposed initially widening only the Hà Nội–HCM City route, covering 18 component projects with a total length of about 1,144km.
The 149km-long sections from Mỹ Thuận–Cần Thơ–Cà Mau would not be widened at this stage due to lower traffic demand, challenging construction conditions, and scarce material supplies.
The ministry suggested upgrading these routes directly to six lanes in line with the approved master plan, with an estimated total investment exceeding VNĐ152 trillion.
For three sections already under BOT contracts, including Diễn Châu–Bãi Vọt, Nha Trang–Cam Lâm and Cam Lâm–Vĩnh Hảo, which are 178km in total with an investment of about VNĐ25.3 trillion, the ministry has been working with private investors.
For the remaining 15 sections of 966km with total public investment of around VNĐ126.8 trillion, the ministry is studying various options for dividing investment packages to minimise State capital and encourage investor partnerships.
If necessary, it will propose special mechanisms for consideration at the National Assembly’s October 2025 session.
Additionally, for expressway sections funded by the State, including Cao Bồ–Mai Sơn, Cam Lộ–La Sơn, La Sơn–Hòa Liên and Hòa Liên–Túy Loan, toll collection will begin after completion. The ministry plans to integrate toll collection with BOT sections to ensure consistency and optimise operation and maintenance costs.
Once the basic design is completed, construction is expected to take about two years, with the full expansion scheduled for completion between 2026 and 2030. Some sections could break ground as early as the second quarter of 2026 and open to traffic by late 2028.
The ministry has also asked the Government for guidance on project division, State capital allocation and implementation schedules.