Transport Network Development: Premises for Socio-Economic Development

Before 1997, the transport network of Ha Nam Province was undeveloped with small scale and low quality, which was among major causes for discouraging the city’s socio-economic development. After 15 years, the province’s road system has seen improvement, contributing to the locality’s socio-economic development and ensuring its security situation. The Vietnam Business Forum had an interview with Mr Nguyen Van Khoai, Director of the provincial Department of Transport. Ngo San reports.

After 15 years, the provincial Department of Transport has seen improvements, contributing to the locality’s socio-economic development. From fundamental construction activities, the province has completed and put into operation 14 projects. It has also finished 13 bridges and 123 km of national highways such as the upgrade of national highways 21A, QL 38, DT 491, DT 492 and DT 497 and a range of bridges across rivers like Hong Phu, Cau Tu, Kha Phong and Bong Lang and Dong Van traffic knot (including Nhat Tuu Bridge and the expansion of National Highway 1A’s Dong Van-Phu Ly section). Many transport projects have made considerable contributions to the provincial economic development such as Kha Phong, Kien Khe, Bong Lang and an overpass at Dong Van traffic knot. The minister of transport hailed Dong Van traffic knot as a work that was completed on schedule, while still ensuring the quality. The province joined hands with concerned agencies to complete and put into operation the section of Cau Gie-Ninh Binh Highway running through the locality as well as built new National Highway 21. The total investment of the transport sector reached over VND5.1 trillion in the 2006-2010 period. In 2012, the disbursement was estimated at more than VND500 billion.

 

Currently, the provincial Department of Transport is focusing on the instruction to carry out 18 projects, particularly upgrading Phu Ly-Doan Vi section of National Highway 1A, Dong Van-Cho Dau section of National Highway 38 and Phu Van Bridge. Site clearance has been paid special attention to and received strong support from people.

 

Besides, investment in transport infrastructure and road and waterway maintenance has got attention to raise their quality and raise the investment capital use.

The campaign to build rural roads has supported the development of new rural areas. After two-year operation with the motto “The State and people join hands” and the launch of “Entrepreneurs cooperate to build new rural areas” as well as people’s land donation for road construction, the province has concentrated on building rural roads. In 1997, the provincial transport system had a total length of 4,386.14 km. The figure has been raised to 4,418km, up 7.26 percent. The quality of transport routes has been remarkably improved. Between 2011 and 2012, the province built more than 3,000 km of rural roads, including 160km asphalted roads and 2,175km of concreted roads with a total investment of more than VND1 trillion mobilised from the state budget and other sources.

 

With the strategic position and an uninterrupted transport system, over the past years, Hanoi has paid special attention to transport development in a professional and safe way to meet the increasing demand for goods and passenger transport in the locality.

 

The system of stations and wharves has been completely built. The province has one central coach station which was put into operations from December 01, 2013 and three stations of smaller scale in localities and three railway stations.

 

The province has also seen the strong development of means of transport with a total number of 6,375 autos of different kinds. Ha Nam has implemented the project to transport passengers by bus; granted operation licenses for four taxi firms with 372 cars. The province has set up a register centre for the quality of means of transport to ensure technical safety and protect environment for road and inland waterway vehicles.

 

The planning of Ha Nam Province’s transport development in the 2007 – 2015 period and a vision until 2025 approved by the local People’s Committee at Decision No. 106/QD- UBND on January, 11, 2008. The province has focused on mobilising all resources for building road system to create a breakthrough and a motivate for the socio-economic development in order to timely serve the industrialisation and modernisation as well as defense and security protection in the locality and the region. Additionally, Ha Nam has built a number of new road routes to attract investment and the industrial, trade and service development for the provincial economic structure transition. The province has paid special attention to key transport works and attached transport infrastructure development to road corridor management.

The overall picture of Ha Nam’s transport sector will be a modern, synchronous and comprehensive system with big works such as Hanoi-Ninh Binh Highway, National Highways of 1A, 21, 21B, 38 and 38B, new Phu Ly-My Loc road and the provincial road system meeting at least grade IV as well as urban and rural roads.