📋 Tender Overview
The Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressway project, expected to open on December 19, will realize the dream of a future open road and the aspiration of a highway connecting Cao Bang with the lowlands that has been cherished for more than a decade. This is also the first PPP project in the country to be implemented under the new PPP Law. The Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressway project has a total length of 121 km, divided into 2 phases with a total investment of nearly 23,000 billion VND. Photo: VGP/Thanh Huyen. More than a decade of cherishing the expressway dream. With the geographical location and terrain conditions of the border highland province, Cao Bang has long been considered one of the localities with the most difficult traffic conditions in the country. The provinces transportation system currently only has roads, including 4 national highways (NH3, 4A, 34 and 4C), along with a network of provincial roads, inter-commune and inter-village roads. From Hanoi to Cao Bang is only about 280 km, but it takes nearly half a day to travel, overcoming hundreds of steep, winding turns, high passes, and deep abysses. During the rainy season, many roads are eroded and flooded, making the journey to Cao Bang even more arduous and dangerous. Talking to reporters from the Government Electronic Newspaper, Mr. Do Trong Khanh, Deputy Director of the Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Transport Works in Cao Bang province, could not hide his emotions when recounting the journey of a running down road to Hanoi. The idea of building a highway connecting Cao Bang has been cherished since the period 2011-2014, but it was not until the 2016 - 2020 term that the project was actually launched. By August 2020, the Prime Minister officially approved the investment policy of the Dong Dang (Lang Son) - Tra Linh (Cao Bang) expressway project, marking an important milestone in the journey of realizing the provinces expressway dream, Mr. Khanh said. In August 2020, the Prime Minister officially approved the investment policy of the Dong Dang (Lang Son) - Tra Linh (Cao Bang) expressway project, marking an important milestone in the journey of realizing the provinces expressway dream. Photo: VGP/Thanh Huyen. The policy has been approved, but the difficulties in implementing the Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressway project have just really begun. Stretching through Lang Son and Cao Bang, with a total length of 121km. With a karst geological structure and difficult terrain, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh during an inspection on June 30 identified this as one of the most challenging projects currently in the country. Not only difficult in terrain, the project also faces major problems in finance and investment attraction. When Cao Bang province first issued a notice inviting interest in May 2020, the number of investors participating was very limited due to complex terrain, large investment costs and long payback period. After many calling efforts, in December 2023, Cao Bang Provincial Peoples Committee announced Deo Ca Group Joint Venture as the investor selected to implement the project. More than 3,600 engineers and workers, along with 1,600 machines and equipment, simultaneously deployed 276 construction jobs, turning the slogan overcoming the sun, overcoming the rain into reality every day. Photo: VGP/Thanh Huyen.PPP - key that opens the door for highland projects. Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressway project has a total length of 121 km, divided into 2 phases with a total investment of nearly 23,000 billion VND. With the determination to implement the project in 2024, the authorities of Cao Bang and Lang Son provinces and Deo Ca Group have achieved initial success when their efforts were recognized, the National Assembly passed a special mechanism in Resolution No. 106, increasing the proportion of State budget capital participating in the project to not exceed 70% of the total investment of the project, creating conditions for a feasible project to arrange credit capital. This is a PPP project. The first in the country to be implemented under the Investment Law in the new public-private partnership (PPP) method, opening a turning point in infrastructure investment thinking. Faced with the difficult problem of capital resources, Deo Ca Group pioneered and applied the PPP++ model, an innovative financial solution to optimize investment efficiency and disperse risks. According to this mechanism, P1++ is the State capital, including central and local budgets, accounting for more than 50% of the total investment; P2++ is the equity of private enterprises and state-owned enterprises; while P3++ is the source of capital mobilized from credit, issuing stocks, bonds, BCC contracts or foreign capital. Flexibly combining these three capital components not only helps ensure project progress, but also creates a new precedent in how to mobilize and manage national infrastructure investment resources. Mr. Pham Thy Hung, Deputy Director of the Bidding Management Department, Ministry of Finance. Photo: VGP/Thanh Huyen. According to Mr. Pham Thy Hung, Deputy Director of the Bidding Management Department, Ministry of Finance, this is one of the most successful public-private partnership (PPP) investment projects in difficult areas. Since the project was started in early 2024 until now, many new regulations on PPP have been reviewed and adjusted to create a favorable legal corridor. Dong Dang - Tra Linh Expressway is a testament to a transparent and flexible approach, contributing to removing bottlenecks of infrastructure investment in the Northern mountainous region, said Mr.Mr. Hung affirmed. Divided into 2 phases, the Dong Dang-Tra Linh route has a total length of 121km. Once completed, it will shorten the travel time from Cao Bang to Hanoi from 6-7 hours to about 3.5 hours. Phase 1 of the project was started on January 1, 2024 (length 93.35km), through complex terrain. In phase 2, the project expands the entire
