Transport Minister blames Chinese, Korean contractors for slow projects

July 22, 2014 | 08:47

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Transport Minister Dinh La Thang complained about the slow progress of several transport projects contracted to Chinese and South Korean firms.

Transport Minister Dinh La Thang at Vam Cong Bridge construction site

The minister recently carried out inspections on transport projects in the Mekong Delta region during his trip to the south.

Thang singled out a number of projects, including Cao Lanh Bridge in Dong Thap Province. He said that, since it is an ODA project, it should be sped up in order to stay on schedule and avoid waste.

The project was contracted to China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and Vinaconex E&C Vietnam, and financed by ODA from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and a grant from the Australian government.

“All Vietnamese transport projects taken on by CRBC have proven slow in their implementation. Initially, they carried out the projects very quickly, but later the pace grew very slow. We hold no bias against Chinese contractors, but in reality the projects carried out by Chinese contractors are often slow or even stagnant,” he added.

Thang cited the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway as a typical example. A Chinese contractor won the bid for the project. In the beginning the project progressed quickly, but later the contractor had various reasons for delays.

The minister also reprimanded South Korean contractors GS Engineering & Construction and the Hanshin Engineering & Construction for the slow pace of Vam Cong Bridge, linking Dong Thap Province and Can Tho City.

He said that GS Engineering & Construction and Hanshin Engineering & Construction had been behind consistently behind schedule on the Hanoi-Haiphong Highway and asked that they not repeat this mistake for Vam Cong Bridge.

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