Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Saturday kicked off construction of the Minh Luong-Thu Bay section and the Rach Gia City bypass, which are part of the southern coastal corridor road project that will link Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and other officials press the start button to kick off construction of the southern coastal corridor road project in Kien Giang Province - Photo: TTXVN

The road begins in Thailand’s capital Bangkok, runs through Cambodia and finishes in Ca Mau City for a total length of 950 kilometres. In Vietnam, it will stretch 217 kilometres from Xa Xia border gate to Ca Mau.

The project costing USD398 million uses official development assistance (ODA) of the South Korean government via Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), preferential loans of the Asian Development Bank and a non-refundable loan of Australia and Vietnam’s reciprocal capital.

The first phase of the project is expected to cost around USD250 million, including construction of 108 kilometres of road and Cai Lon and Cai Be bridges.

The Rach Gia City bypass alone will cost USD82.8 million. This bypass will include 17.6 kilometres of road and 22 bridges and two interlines.

After the Minh Luong-Thu Bay section finishes, the road will facilitate traveling and goods transportation in the region and open up conditions for exporting goods to Cambodia through the Ha Tien International Border Gate.

This is part of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) cooperation program to set up an international road linking important economic zones of Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand with other ASEAN countries. It will create conditions for the economic development, enhance security and defense, and help reduce poverty for border provinces in southwestern Vietnam.

My Thuan Project Management Unit under the Ministry of Transport is the investor of the project. Construction is expected to last three years.

Along with the Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong Expressway, Can Tho and Rach Mieu bridges, Southern Hau River and Quan Lo-Phung Hiep routes, the corridor route will create an extensive and uninterrupted road system in the Mekong Delta.