Departments and localities in Son La province are actively preparing the necessary conditions and procedures to commence construction of the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway section within Son La province around July 2025.

Perspective view of the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chinh, Deputy Director of the Son La Provincial Department of Transport, said that the Department of Transport, acting as the permanent agency of the Steering Committee for the construction of the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway section through Son La province, has actively advised the province on developing a plan with clear assignment of tasks and work steps for departments, agencies, and investors of component projects; monitored, compiled, and reported on the project's progress weekly for the Steering Committee's weekly briefing meetings; coordinated and advised on solutions to direct and expedite progress; promptly resolved difficulties and obstacles; reviewed the needs for the supply of construction materials, connections, waste disposal sites, land use conversion, forest use, preliminary surveys, and verification of land ownership... contributing to accelerating the implementation progress so that the project can be started by the end of July this year.

"The Department of Transport has also actively advised the Son La Provincial Committee to propose to the Prime Minister to include the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway project in the list of key projects and to pilot a mechanism assigning the local government as the main implementing agency for the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway project. In the coming period, we will focus on implementing design documents after the basic design phase to ensure submission and approval according to schedule. Secondly, we will monitor, understand, and expedite land clearance to ensure that when the project starts, there is land available for immediate construction," Mr. Chinh shared.

Son La is currently one of the country's largest fruit-producing regions, with an annual output of approximately 400,000 tons.

The Hoa Binh – Moc Chau expressway, the section passing through Son La province, is 32.3 km long with a total investment of over 4,900 billion VND. The starting point connects to the end point of the Hoa Binh – Moc Chau expressway (in Chieng Yen commune, Van Ho district, Son La province); the end point intersects with National Highway 43 in Phieng Luong commune, Moc Chau district (Son La province). This road is of particular importance; upon completion, it will help change the situation of National Highway 6 being the only route connecting Hanoi to the Northwest provinces in general and Son La province in particular. It will help alleviate traffic congestion on National Highway 6, remove bottlenecks in transportation infrastructure, create breakthroughs, promote socio-economic development, and ensure national defense and security in Son La province in particular and the Northwest provinces in general.

Farmers in Son La province hope that the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway will facilitate the transportation and sale of agricultural products.

The route has been approved by the Prime Minister for inclusion in the Road Network Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050. To date, the project has been approved by the Son La Provincial People's Council in Resolution No. 299/NQ-HĐND dated March 10, 2024; which divides the project into three component projects, including two component projects for land clearance in Moc Chau and Van Ho districts, with the People's Committees of Moc Chau and Van Ho districts as the investors, and one component project for the construction of transportation infrastructure, with the Provincial Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Transportation Infrastructure as the investor.

Thu Thuy