Transport infrastructure bottlenecks

After 30 years of development, the Dung Quat Economic Zone has made remarkable progress and has been assessed by central authorities as one of the most successful and effective economic zones nationwide, serving as the growth nucleus of Quang Ngai province. To date, Dung Quat Economic Zone and the industrial parks of Quang Ngai are home to 449 valid projects with a total registered investment capital of approximately 19.23 billion USD. Of these, 347 projects are operational, creating jobs for more than 80,000 workers. In 2025, the Dung Quat Economic Zone and Quang Ngai’s industrial parks contributed 26 trillion VND (1 billion USD) to the state budget, accounting for nearly 74% of the province’s total budget revenue.

However, in the Dung Quat Economic Zone, infrastructure, particularly transport infrastructure built more than 20 years ago, has severely deteriorated. Meanwhile, annual maintenance funding remains limited, with repair and maintenance work carried out in a scattered manner, lacking comprehensive and long-term solutions.

Of particular concern is that in recent times, many large-scale projects have accelerated their implementation schedules, leading to a sudden surge in demand for transporting materials, equipment and goods. The sharp increase in heavy truck traffic has further overloaded the transport infrastructure of the Dung Quat Economic Zone. For example, National Highway 24C, the main arterial route connecting to the zone, especially the section passing through Tuyet Diem 1 hamlet (Van Tuong commune), has suffered surface peeling, deep subsidence and is riddled with potholes, posing serious risks to traffic safety.

Identifying the deterioration of internal transport infrastructure as the most significant “bottleneck” of the Dung Quat Economic Zone—directly affecting business operations, increasing logistics costs, reducing competitiveness, and hindering investment attraction as well as supply chains for the central and Central Highlands regions—Quang Ngai province has decided to invest 350 billion VND in upgrading and expanding the transport infrastructure system within the zone.

Specifically, the project involves the construction of four key routes with a total length of 9.6 kilometres, including: the Tri Binh–Thien Dang roundabout; the Thien Dang–Chu Lai roundabout ; the road connecting National Highway 1A–Tinh Phong–Binh Tan (Phase 1); and the Lam Vien–Van Tuong road, passing through the three localities of Binh Son, Van Tuong and Tho Phong.

Laying the foundation to attract investment

According to Tran Hoang Vinh, Director of the Quang Ngai Provincial Transport Construction Investment Project Management Board, the objective of this flagship project is to gradually complete the system of transport routes and technical infrastructure in line with approved planning, ensuring seamless connectivity between the Dung Quat Economic Zone and surrounding areas, and timely meeting the needs for transporting goods, materials and equipment, as well as supporting the production and business activities of enterprises.

Luong Kim Son, Head of the Management Board of the Dung Quat Economic Zone and Quang Ngai Industrial Parks, noted that the provincial decision to invest in upgrading and expanding the transport infrastructure system within the Dung Quat Economic Zone is a timely policy, creating a solid foundation for the zone to welcome a new wave of investment in oil refining and petrochemicals, heavy industry, logistics and related sectors.

Under the strategy to develop the Dung Quat Economic Zone into a national centre for oil refining and energy; to build a hub for steel production, rolling and downstream steel products; and to establish a regional logistics centre linked to the Dung Quat deep-water seaport and Chu Lai International Airport, prioritising investment in the expansion, upgrading and repair of the main transport axes—together with national arterial transport systems such as expressways and the North–South railway—serves as a core driving force to lead and accelerate investment attraction into Dung Quat. This will create a solid foundation for Quang Ngai to successfully achieve its target of double-digit economic growth.

“With the goal for the 2025–2030 period of attracting 3–4 billion USD in investment, achieving average industrial production growth of 10–11% per year, and generating around 30 trillion VND (1.16 billion USD) in annual budget revenue, the province needs to soon invest in upgrading and expanding the backbone transport artery of National Highway 24C in order to promptly meet the growing freight transport demands of enterprises operating in the Dung Quat Economic Zone,” Luong Kim Son recommended.