These days, the people of Son La in particular, and the Northwest region in general, are extremely excited as the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway project, specifically the section within Son La province, has commenced construction. The dream of an expressway connecting Hanoi, Hoa Binh, and Son La has become a reality, significantly breaking the monopoly of National Highway 6 and opening up opportunities for the development of the Northwest region.
The Steering Committee for the construction of the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway section within Son La province held a meeting in Moc Chau town.
Photo: PV
Comrade Le Hong Minh, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, stated: In recent years, the transportation system of the northern mountainous provinces has received significant attention in terms of development, from planning and upgrading to new investments. However, generally speaking, the Northwest provinces still face many difficulties in terms of socio-economic infrastructure. Connections from Hanoi to the Northwest provinces, Hoa Binh - Son La - Dien Bien, have traditionally been primarily via National Highway 6. The expressway, with a total investment of nearly 5,000 billion VND and comprising many important components, is the largest transportation project ever undertaken in Son La province. This is a strategic route with special significance in completing the transportation infrastructure system of the Northwest region according to the plan.
Since 2017, the Hoa Binh - Son La route has been officially approved by the Prime Minister for inclusion in the National Highway Network Development Plan of Vietnam until 2020, with a vision to 2030. With the attention of the Government and central ministries and agencies, along with the efforts and close coordination of Hoa Binh and Son La provinces, the investment project for the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway in Son La province was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 579/QD-TTg dated May 17, 2019, under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. However, due to numerous obstacles and impracticality issues encountered during implementation under the PPP model, in 2022, the Government issued Decision No. 465/QD-TTg dated April 14, 2022, halting the project's implementation under the PPP model and shifting to a public investment option.
Map showing the overall route of the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau - Son La Expressway Project.
In July 2023, the People's Committee of Son La province was assigned by the Prime Minister to be the lead agency in preparing the investment for the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau Expressway project, specifically the section passing through Son La province, according to Official Letter No. 671/TTg-CN. On November 28, 2023, the National Assembly issued Resolution No. 106/2023/QH15 on piloting some specific policies on investment in road construction projects. In this resolution, the investment project for the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau Expressway, the section within Son La province, was included by the National Assembly in the list of national highway and expressway projects delegated to local authorities as the managing agency. The Prime Minister officially assigned the People's Committee of Son La province as the managing agency to implement the project.
Immediately after being assigned the task, the People's Committee of Son La province directed the completion of the pre-feasibility study report to be submitted to the Provincial People's Council for approval of the policy in Resolution No. 299/NQ-HĐND dated March 10, 2024, with a total investment of 4,938 billion VND, of which 3,400 billion VND is from the state budget and 1,538 billion VND is from the local budget.
A perspective view of a section of the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway within Son La province.
The Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 424/QD-UBND dated March 13, 2024, assigning the investor to implement the project with 3 component projects, including: Compensation, support, resettlement, and land clearance in Van Ho district, with the Van Ho District People's Committee as the investor, a length of 31.25km, and a total investment of VND 456 billion; Compensation, support, resettlement, and land clearance in Moc Chau town, with the Moc Chau Town People's Committee as the investor, a length of 1.05km, and a total investment of VND 37 billion (later adjusted to VND 63 billion); and the Investment and Construction Project of Transportation Works, with the Son La Provincial Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Transportation Works as the investor, a length of 32.3km, and a total investment of VND 4,445 billion.
A perspective view of a section of the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway within Son La province.
On September 24, 2024, component project 3, the investment and construction of transportation infrastructure, was approved by the Chairman of the People's Committee of Son La province in Decision No. 1999/QD-UBND. Accordingly, the project scope is as follows: The starting point is at Km53+00 in Chieng Yen commune, Van Ho district, Son La province, connecting with the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway project section within Hoa Binh province. The end point is at Km85+262, intersecting with National Highway 43, in Van Son ward, Moc Chau town, Son La province. The total length of the route is approximately 32.3 km. The total investment is 4,445 billion VND from the central and provincial budgets. The project implementation period is from 2025 to 2028.
Resettlement area in Pa Puoc village, Chieng Yen commune, Van Ho district.
The Son La Provincial Project Steering Committee is chaired by the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. The Provincial People's Committee has established working groups according to specific areas to focus on the vigorous implementation of assigned tasks. To date, land clearance has been completed in Moc Chau town; progress is underway in Van Ho district; bomb and mine clearance is 70% complete; construction has begun on 4 resettlement sites in Van Ho district; and planning has been completed for sites of common construction materials mines and waste disposal sites serving the project.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Hoa Binh-Moc Chau expressway construction project, specifically the section within Son La province, will be held in Moc Chau town.
The investor has selected the construction contractor and handed over a clean construction site to the contractor; the contractors have committed to constructing the project ensuring the progress, quality, and aesthetics of all project components.
In addition, departments, agencies, and localities should do a good job of publicizing the significance and importance of the project and the benefits it brings to the people. They should proactively develop plans to ensure security, order, food safety and hygiene, etc., ensuring that the event takes place in a solemn, meaningful, practical, economical, effective, and safe manner.
The construction team is preparing the necessary equipment for the groundbreaking ceremony.
In the atmosphere of May, the groundbreaking ceremony for the expressway project, coinciding with the 135th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2025), holds even deeper significance. The completion of the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway project will boost the economic development and growth of Son La province, making it a new bright spot in attracting investment; it will be a crucial condition for socio-economic development, tourism, and trade; and it will create a new development axis for Son La and the Northwest provinces to keep pace with the nation in this era of national progress.
