Nine major expressways that cost VND128 trillion ($5.5 billion) have considerably sped up connections between Hanoi and northern localities. 

A VND6.7 trillion ($289.6 million) expansion project to upgrade the Phap Van-Cau Gie expressway, the southern gateway to Hanoi, from four to six lanes was completed late last year and put into operation earlier this year.

The Phap Van-Cau Gie Expressway, which first opened in 2002, runs more than 32 kilometers (20 miles) to the south of Hanoi and links up with another expressway to the nearby Ninh Binh Province. The six-lane expressway is expected to cater to 60,000 vehicles per day and daily revenue from toll fees is estimated at more than VND2 billion ($86,400).

Opening to traffic at the end of 2011, the 50km Cau Gie-Ninh Binh expressway connects Hanoi and other northern provinces with central provinces. This expressway has so far served 28 million vehicles averaging 23,000 to 25,000 vehicles per day.

Work on the Cau Gie – Ninh Binh expressway was started in January 2006 with total investment of nearly VND9 trillion ($389 million). The six-lane expressway is the first in Vietnam to be lined with acacia trees on both sides, allowing vehicles to run up to 120 kph. Standard toll rate is VND1,500 ($0.7) per vehicle per kilometer.

Bac Giang - Lang Son, the long-delayed expressway, which runs from Bac Giang Province, 80 kilometers northeast of Hanoi, to Chi Lang District in the northern mountainous province of Lang Son on the China border, was officially opened to traffic on September 29, 2019.

The 64-kilometer, VND12.19 trillion ($527 million) expressway will link up with the Hanoi-Bac Giang Expressway, and help enhance trade between Vietnam and China.

The expressway is designed to allow vehicles to travel at a speed of 100 kph. It runs parallel to the existing National Highway 1A, the 2,300-km transnational road, and will reduce the travel time from Hanoi to Lang Son by 30 minutes to two and a half hours.

The Hanoi - Hai Phong Expressway, which connects the capital with the northern port city of Hai Phong, opened in December 2015. It was built as a build-operate- transfer (BOT) project costing VND45 trillion ($1.94 billion).

The expressway is among Vietnam's biggest transport infrastructure projects. According to Vietnam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment JSC, it serves over 27,000 vehicles each day on six lanes that allow speeds of up to 120 kph. The 105-km-long expressway has reduced the travel time from Hanoi to Hai Phong from two and a half hours to one hour.

The $1.5-billion Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway, which connects Hanoi with the northern highlands resort town of Sa Pa, opened to traffic in September 2014, helping reduce travel time to three and a half hours.

The Noi Bai (Hanoi) - Yen Bai section of the expressway has four lanes and allows for a maximum speed of 100 kph. From Yen Bai to Lao Cai, two lanes allow vehicles to run at 80 kph.

Also inaugurated in 2014, the Hanoi - Thai Nguyen Expressway is 63 km long. Built with a total investment of more than VND10 trillion ($432 million), it runs through several northern provinces including Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen.

The expressway is designed with four lanes for traffic and two emergency stop lanes, allowing vehicles to run at a maximum speed of 100 kph, cutting travel time from Hanoi to Thai Nguyen to one hour instead of three hours before.

The Ha Long - Hai Phong Expressway, which opened last year after three years of construction, reduces travel time between the capital city and the renowned Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh to just an hour and a half.

Built at a cost of VND13 trillion ($552 million), the 24.6-kilometer expressway connects National Highway 18 in Ha Long's Dai Yen Ward with the Hanoi-Hai Phong Expressway in Hai Phong's Hai An District.

The highlight of the project is a cable-stayed bridge across the Bach Dang River.

Opened this year after four years of construction, the 60 km Ha Long - Van Don Expressway connects the UNESCO heritage site of Ha Long Bay with the Van Don International Airport, reducing travel time to 50 minutes.

The expressway, running through mountainous terrain, was built at a cost of about VND12 trillion ($516 million) under BOT investment form. It allows vehicles to travel at a maximum speed of 100 kph.

The Thang Long Boulevard in Ha Noi was declared the most modern highway in the country when it opened in 2010 on the occasion of the 1,000th anniversary of the capital city.

The 29-km boulevard, costing VND8 trillion ($346 million), starts at the intersection of Lang-Hoa Lac Road and Ring Road 3, and ends at the intersection between Lang-Hoa Lac Road, National Highway 21 and Ho Chi Minh Highway.