The Vietnam Road Department is planning to upgrade and renovate three national highways connecting the country to northern Laos and southern China. The national highways to be upgraded are National Highway 279, National Highway 4 H and National Highway 217, with a combined length of over 180 km. This will strengthen links along the East-West Corridor and will also promote transnational trade linkages.
The entire road project is expected to cost around USD340 million, of which USD315 million will be financed through World Bank loans. Work will be executed from 2025 to 2029.
Once the three highways are upgraded, The upgraded highways will be able to cater to increased traffic capacity, meet increasing transport needs, and shorten the distance between border gates and seaports between Vietnam, Laos and China. Additionally, it will also reduce driving time on the road, which will reduce transportation costs, environmental pollution and traffic accidents.
