The ADB-funded project wil upgrade around 300 kilometres of roads in the northern mountainous region

The project will upgrade around 300 kilometres of unpaved and frequently impassable roads in the six northern mountainous provinces of Bac Kan, Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai and Lao Cai. Most of the roads are located in the areas that often face flash floods.

The project, to be carried out by local People’s Committees, is scheduled for completion by December 2016.

According to Tomoyuki Kimura, the project will help to improve access to social services and trade and investment opportunities for ethnic minority and northern mountainous areas.

Up to 30% of the population Vietnam’s northern mountainous region continues to live in poverty. Their access to health and education services remains very limited. These barriers pose a major challenge to the region’s economic development.

The project is expected to support the Vietnamese Government’s efforts to connect the northern mountainous region with national transport routes and the Greater Mekong Sub-region economic corridors.