Just in time for the April 30 holiday, a stretch of the North - South expressway from Quang Ngai to the Cu Mong Tunnel will officially open to traffic, significantly accelerating travel along the North-South corridor.

Project Management Unit 2 (under the Ministry of Transport) was quoted by the Government News as announcing that the main route of the Quang Ngai – Hoai Nhon component project will be officially operational starting at 11:30 am on April 29.

The main section being opened in this phase spans approximately 88km. The expressway section begins at Km1050+00 (Nghia Giang commune, Quang Ngai province), where it connects with the Da Nang – Quang Ngai section of the North-South Expressway, and ends at Km1138+00, connecting to the Hoai Nhon – Quy Nhon section of the expressway.

The project began in January 2023 with a total investment of over VND21.110 trillion (nearly $802 million) from the State budget. To date, key items on the main route have been completed, most notably three major mountain tunnels: Tunnel No. 1 (Duc Pho), Tunnel No. 2 (Huan Phong), and Tunnel No. 3 (Binh De).

Under the current traffic organization plan for this initial phase, the expressway section will operate with four lanes and a roadbed width of 17 meters. The maximum speed is set at 90 km/h, with a minimum speed of 60 km/h.

In addition to the Quang Ngai – Hoai Nhon section, April 29 will also see the opening of the Hoai Nhon – Quy Nhon component project and Package 11-XL (Km0+200 - Km19+800) of the Quy Nhon – Chi Thanh component project.

The Hoai Nhon – Quy Nhon section of the expressway has a total length of 70.1km whilst the Quy Nhon – Chi Thanh section of the expressway has a total length of 61.7km (excluding the 5.1km section through the Cu Mong Tunnel). Both projects commenced construction on January 1, 2023.