Mekong Delta roads pave way to prosperity

Le Hung Viet is confident that his factory can afford to make complete pairs of shoes, not just the uppers, adding a lot of value to his business.

The deputy director of Ty Xuan company’s Thap Muoi factory, says this is possible because they will soon be able to transport the shoes directly to the Sai Gon Port for export.

Huynh Van Minh, a farmer from Long An, says that he expects to get better prices for his sugarcane crop, because traders will be able to access his fields easily and have no excuse to offer lower prices.

Viet and Minh are among many residents keenly awaiting completion of Road N2, which will allow provinces in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta a much-needed option for transporting export-oriented goods to ports like Sai Gon in HCM City.

Road N2 is one of a spate of road projects planned or being built in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta that experts say will significantly boost economic development in the region.

The roads will not only provide stable links within the region but also facilitate trade and commerce between the Delta and other localities in the southeast, like HCM City and neighboring provinces.

The N2 project, a 100km road that runs from a flyover in HCM City’s Cu Chi District to My An Town in Dong Thap Province, will include the upgrade of existing roads and the addition of a new 32km section.

When complete, the road is expected to cut the distance to HCM City by 20km, and its 30 bridges will help ease traffic in an area that is crisscrossed by numerous rivers and fords.

Well connected

Duong Tuan Minh, general director of the My Thuan Project Management Unit, says that after the road N2, the unit will implement a road project that will strengthen links between Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces.

The $751 million project includes a 70km road linking My An Town with the Vam Cong ferry wharf that will also connect Dong Thap with An Giang provinces. The Vam Cong and Cao Lanh bridges in Dong Thap Province will be also part of this project on which work is scheduled to start at the end of this year.

A road from Vam Cong to Rach Soi in Kien Giang Province is under study. Some sections of the road will be part of the 1,321km National Road that runs from Phu Tho Province in the north to Kien Giang Province in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.

The 123km Quan Lo – Phung Hiep road project in Soc Trang Province that began in 2005 is 95 per cent complete.

Nguyen Thanh Nam, director of Project Management Unit No 7, says the road will help improve the lives of poor residents in Soc Trang, Hau Giang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau provinces.

The road will also help develop the My Tu industrial and handicraft complex and new town of Nga Bay in Hau Giang Province as well as some other localities, he says.

Another 167km new road, Nam Song Hau, linking Can Tho City with Hau Giang, Soc Trang and Bac Lieu provinces, is nearing completion.

The My Thuan 2 bridge project, designed with two levels for road traffic below and a railroad from HCM City to Can Tho above, is scheduled to start implementation soon.

Better business

Luu Dinh Khan, director of Long An Department of Transportation, says Road N2 will boost agricultural economy in the region and help connect it with the southeastern economic region, especially HCM City.

Transportation problems between Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces and HCM City will reduce considerably after Road N2 and the bridges of Vam Cong and Cao Lanh are completed, says Ly Ngoc Hoa, director of Truong Thinh Cooperative in An Giang province.

Truong Vinh Thanh, general director of the Multinational Investment and Development Joint Stock Company, owner of the Vam Cong industrial complex in Dong Thap province, says Road N2 will reduce transportation and product costs, increase sales and revenue, and as a result, attract more projects.- VNS

Tags: Mekong Delta