The four-lane, 17-meter wide expressway, running 26 kilometers southwest from Thap Muoi District till Cao Lanh Bridge, will allow speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour, according to the Ministry of Transport.

It will be a part of the 130 kilometer expressway that connects Dong Thap with Can Tho City and Kien Giang Province.

Funding for the project will come from a VND3.8 trillion ($164.3 million) loan from South Korea’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund and a VND690 billion ($29.8 million) contribution from the state’s coffers.

Construction will take four years starting from when the funds are made available.

This is one of several expressway projects proposed in the Mekong Delta region to boost socio-economic development. A VND30 trillion ($1.3 billion) road is planned to connect Can Tho City and Hau Giang Province.

Meanwhile, construction of the long-delayed VND12.67 trillion ($547.7 million) Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway, linking Ho Chi Minh City with the Mekong Delta, is ongoing and is set to finish in 2021.