The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam’s Projects Management Unit No. 2 said the VND7.7-trillion ($336 million) expressway would run from Ha Giang’s northern district of Bac Quang to the Noi Bai – Lao Cai Expressway in Yen Bai Province.

It will have two lanes in the first phase and four in the second, allowing speeds up to 100 kilometers per hour, with construction to be completed after 2040.

An official development assistance loan from South Korea’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund will meet 79 percent of the cost.

Preparations and feasibility reports will be completed before 2023 when construction will start.

The Noi Bai – Lao Cai Expressway, which opened to traffic in 2014, is a key road linking Hanoi and northern provinces with Lao Cai on the China border.

Ha Giang, which also borders China, is a popular mountain tourism destination but with limited infrastructure.a