Highlands highway makes headway

663 kilometre National Road 14 is part of the Ho Chi Minh National Highway
and will serve as the Central Highlands’ bridge to the world

Last June, the Ministry of Transport (MoT) in cooperation with a consortium between construction companies Toan My 14  and Bang Duong started upgrading 30 kilometres of road stretching through the Central Highlands’ Dak Nong province. The infrastructure project, costing approximately $49 million, is a part of the National Road 14 that links southern key economic zones including Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau to the Central Highlands.

The National Road 14, at a length of 663km,  is actually a part of Ho Chi Minh National Highway which stretches the length of the country. Currently, the National Road 14  is in poor condition, making  life difficult for the local community as well as travellers.

The Vietnamese government has successfully completed upgrading 187km of the road, funded by government bonds. The remainder is under construction with capital sourced from private investors like Toan My 14 – Bang Duong consortium as well as government bonds.

“We will complete this road in 2016,” said Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Hong Truong, adding this road was very important for the economic development of the Central Highlands.

For many years, poor transport infrastructure has been a major source of concern and has kept the cost of doing business in the Central Highlands high. Even though this region is said to have great potential for mining and agricultural processing, private investors are still wary of investing.

Statistics from the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency show that there have been only 140 foreign invested projects in five Central Highlands provinces of Dak Nong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Lam Dong and Kon Tum.

“To spur economic growth in  the Central Highlands, we need to develop infrastructure network here first. That’s why we decided to invest in this project,” said Do Thi Kim Lien, a representative of Toan My 14 – Bang Duong consortium.

“In the near future, after the completion of the National Road 14, the Central Highlands will have easier access to Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Binh Duong. This should make doing business  in the region easier,” said Lien, adding that the project had strong support from the local residents. Thanks to such support, the construction progress is running smoothly.

“The local residents understand the benefits of this road. This is the key to the success of an infrastructure project,” she said.