Metro, tunnels and expressways count among Vietnam's grand billion dollar projects expected to commence operations this year. 

First metro

Construction on Hanoi’s Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line has completed to include 13 km of elevated railway and 12 stations.

Trains seen on track of Hanoi's first metro line Cat Linh-Ha Dong.
Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

The project was meant to become operational by April 2019, after missing a previous deadline, but missed the new target due to safety evaluation issues.

French consultancy Apave-Certifier-Tricc is currently heading a safety inspection on the line, after which the Chinese contractor will hand over the project to the Ministry of Transport.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung last week ordered the transport ministry to make the line operational this year as "local residents have been yearning for it."

Hundreds of employees have quit over delays, with the $868-million project now bleeding VND50 billion ($2.17 million) a month in salaries for over 200 Chinese and Vietnamese staff.

Hanoi ring road

The capital is further expected to open a 5.5 km northwestern ring road to ease traffic congestion in Cau Giay, a major business district.

The VND8.5 trillion ($368 million) Mai Dich – Nam Thang Long section will run from Mai Dich Overpass in Cau Giay northward to Thang Long Bridge, one of the city’s northern gateways.

The six-lane ground-level section opened in October last year, with the four-lane elevated part scheduled to launch September.

Hai Van Tunnel 2

Central Hai Van Tunnel 2, connecting Da Nang City and central Thua Thien-Hue Province, is set to be completed by the year-end.

Hai Van Tunnel 2 connects Da Nang City and Thua Thien-Hue Province
in central Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Thanh.

It is part of a VND7.2 trillion ($312 million) project comprising an upgrade of existing Hai Van Tunnel 1 and expansion of its emergency exit into Hai Van Tunnel 2 to include four lanes.

Consisting of two one-way tunnels, each with two lanes, the tunnel is open to traffic though 20 percent of work remains to be completed.

La Son – Tuy Loan Expressway

The 77 km La Son – Tuy Loan Expressway costs over VND11 trillion ($477 million).

With four lanes allowing speeds up to 80 km per hour, it runs from Phu Loc District in Thua Thien-Hue Province to Hoa Vang District in Da Nang City.

The project was to become operational in December 2018 but 11.5 km of land acquisition in Da Nang held it back.

The first 66 km of the expressway is set to open in the first quarter of this year, insiders hold.

Long Thanh – Ben Luc Expressway

Long Thanh – Ben Luc Expressway connecting Ho Chi Minh City with the southern provinces of Long An and Dong Nai is expected to be completed this year, two years late.

A section of the Long Thanh - Ben Luc Expressway which connects Ho Chi Minh City
with the southern provinces of Long An and Dong Nai. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

Construction began in July 2014 and is now 80 percent complete. But land acquisition is still a challenge due to opposition from residents in both Dong Nai and HCMC.

The VND31 trillion ($1.34 billion) expressway runs 57.7 km from Ben Luc District in Long An to Long Thanh District in Dong Nai via HCMC. The project includes 20 km of viaducts and two cable-stayed bridges passing via wetlands.

The expressway is expected to improve connectivity across the Mekong Delta and will be linked with the planned Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai.