Ministry of Construction responds to CC1–BVEC consortium’s proposal for a BOT project to renovate and upgrade National Highway 51

The Ministry of Construction has issued its opinion on the proposal to approve the preparation of an investment project for the renovation and upgrading of National Highway 51 (Phase 2) under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode in the form of a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract, submitted by the consortium of Construction Corporation No.1 - JSC and Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway Development Joint Stock Company (CC1-BVEC Consortium).

The CC1–BVEC Consortium has proposed to implement the Project on the Renovation and Upgrading of National Highway 51 under the PPP mode, in the form of a BOT contract. Photo: Pham Tung

According to the Ministry of Construction, the assignment of an investor to prepare a pre-feasibility study report for a road upgrading and expansion project operated under the PPP mode is currently permitted by the Law on PPP Investment and the Law on Roads. Pursuant to Clause 1, Article 5 of the PPP Law, the competent authorities include ministries, central agencies, and provincial People’s Committees.

Additionally, the conditions, order, and procedures applicable to investor-initiated projects are stipulated in Article 26 of the PPP Investment Law and Articles 26 and 27 of Decree No. 243/2025/ND-CP dated September 11, 2025, which detail several provisions of the PPP Law. Concurrently, under the provisions of the Law on Roads and Decree No. 165/2024/ND-CP dated December 26, 2024 of the Government, which provides detailed guidance for the implementation of certain articles of the Law on Roads, and Article 77 of the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, provincial People's Committees are responsible for receiving road infrastructure assets and managing national highways under their assigned jurisdiction.

The Project for upgrading and expanding National Highway 51 (Phase 1) under the BOT contract form was implemented with the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction) acting as the competent authority. The investors were the consortium of IDICO – DIC – Thai Ninh, and the project enterprise was Bien Hoa – Vung Tau Expressway Development Joint Stock Company. The Project was put into operation in 2013 and has completed toll collection for capital recovery. The Ministry of Construction has instructed the Department for Roads of Vietnam (the unit assigned to manage the assets) to transfer the road infrastructure assets of this highway to the People’s Committees of Dong Nai Province and Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province (now under the management and operation of Ho Chi Minh City).

Therefore, based on the relevant regulations, the Ministry of Construction stated that the consideration of investment in the renovation and upgrading of National Highway 51 (Phase 2) falls within the authority of the agencies managing the road infrastructure assets. Consequently, the Ministry of Construction does not provide any opinion on the project proposal of the CC1–BVEC Consortium, as this matter lies within the jurisdiction of the People’s Committees of Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai Province.

Previously, in October 2025, the CC1-BVEC Consortium submitted its proposal to implement the Project on the Renovation and Upgrading of National Highway 51 under the PPP mode, in the form of a BOT contract. According to the consortium, National Highway 51 (from Km0+900 to Km73+600) is a key transportation corridor connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai Province. The road has suffered severe deterioration, with deformed and uneven surfaces, numerous potholes and ruts, and damaged median strips and manhole covers, while faded lane markings have increased the risk of accidents for vehicles and road users. Hence, there is an urgent need to study investment options for renovating and upgrading the road to enhance traffic capacity, reduce congestion and accidents, and stimulate socio-economic development in the provinces along the route.

By Pham Tung - Translated by My Le, Thu Ha