The Prime Minister urged the Ministry of Transport (MoT) to quicken the equitisation process of 11 state-owned corporations in 2014, saying he would fire any leaders deemed incompetent.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung speaking at the conference

These instructions were made at a conference on reviewing and implementing work plans, held on January 9 in Hanoi.

The Prime Minister praised the MoT's efforts and achievements during the last year. However, he also asked the ministry to quickly divest from non-core businesses and improve its management scheme. He said, "Vinashin, Vinalines and Vietnam Airlines must be equitised this year. Anyone unable to do their jobs will be replaced, because this is the key part of our economic restructuring plan."

 Vietnam Airlines must be equitised 2014

Minister of Transport, Dinh La Thang, promised to followed the instructions. According to Thang, even the head of Vietnam Railways Corporation promised to resign if he could not make good on the reforms.

The Prime Minister emphasised that management would be hindered if the legal framework or if the mechanisms are ineffective.

"We should focus on infrastructure. This year, government will disburse VND86.5 trillion to the transport sector. That means quality of construction must be put under stricter scrutiny."

Other urgent issues facing transportation companies were also mentioned, such as ensuring that the expansion of National Highway No. 1 and No. 14 will be completed by 2015, starting with the Long Thanh International Airport project, in order to ease the overload at Tan Son Nhat Airport, and encourage individuals to participating in the railway business.

Construction of the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen Highway 

Phu Quoc International Airport put to use last year

"The Mekong Delta doesn't have any canal that connects directly with the sea, and that's why we have the Quan Chanh Bo Channel project. But this project hasn't been pushed through yet, despite numerous surveys and evaluations. We can save USD10 on each tonne of cargo and it will be able to accommodate a large amount of goods. This project must be carried out quickly," the Prime Minister said.

In 2013, the Ministry of Transport started 78 construction projects and completed 46. The number of stagnant projects also decreased noticeably, however, there are still many that are substandard.