Vietnam’s North-South highway plan

A new highway is being planned for Vietnam that will run from north-south and feature four traffic lanes, with two in either direction. The project has been put forward to the Vietnam Government by the country’s Ministry of Transport (MOT). The route of the highway has still to be revealed but the link would improve travel connections between capital Hanoi in the north of the country and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. Running for some 1,372km in all, the highway has an estimated cost of US$10.25 billion to construct. However it is the cost of the build-operate-transfer project that is the cause for some debate. Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) believes that the project does not conform with the country’s budget laws as its high cost means that it would require a percentage of state investment.