Work accelerates on Gia Nghia–Chon Thanh Expressway project

The Gia Nghia–Chon Thanh section of the western North–South Expressway is one of the nation’s key transport projects, linking the Central Highlands with the Southeast region and Ho Chi Minh City. The project has a total investment of VND25.893 trillion and comprises five component projects.

Duong Van Thao (left), residing in Hamlet 2, Nha Bich Commune, points to the plot of land his family handed over for the construction of the Gia Nghia - Chon Thanh Expressway

Dong Nai City serves as the competent authority for implementing three of the components, including Component Project 1 (construction of the expressway), Component Project 3 (construction of frontage roads and overpasses within Dong Nai), and Component Project 5 (land acquisition, compensation and resettlement). Work on all three components is now being accelerated.

Strong public support for site clearance

Component Project 1 involves construction of the first phase of the expressway with four fully developed lanes with a roadbed width of 24.75 meters. The section through Binh Phuoc and Dong Xoai wards will have a roadbed width of 25.5 meters. The entire route stretches 124.13 kilometers, including 101.03 kilometers in Dong Nai City and 23.1 kilometers in Lam Dong Province.

The project requires the acquisition of more than 1,200 hectares of land, approximately 921 hectares of which are in Dong Nai, accounting for nearly 76 percent of the total land area required for the entire route. The Gia Nghia–Chon Thanh Expressway passes through 10 communes and wards in Dong Nai City: Tho Son, Bu Dang, Phuoc Son, Nghia Trung, Dong Tam, Tan Loi, Binh Phuoc, Dong Xoai, Nha Bich and Chon Thanh. According to the Dong Nai City Construction Investment Project Management Board, about 80 percent of the required land has already been handed over. Several localities have achieved particularly high site clearance rates, including Nha Bich Commune (100 percent), Bu Dang Commune (99 percent) and Phuoc Son Commune (91 percent). Chon Thanh and Dong Xoai wards, together with Tho Son Commune, have each reached between 77 and 87 percent.

Nguyen Hong Thai, Chairman of the Nha Bich Commune People's Committee, said the expressway runs 9.92 kilometers through the commune, affecting nearly 93 hectares across 298 land parcels owned by residents, businesses and public agencies. He noted that successful site clearance work required the determination of the entire political system. This has also been a guiding principle behind all leadership and administration in Nha Bich Commune, motivating local officials to strive for excellence in carrying out their assigned duties.

Public support has also played a decisive role. Duong Van Thao, a resident of Hamlet 2 in Nha Bich Commune, surrendered more than 1.1 hectares of land planted with valuable timber trees after local authorities explained the project's significance. Following dissemination and mobilization efforts by the local government, he became one of the first residents to sign the land handover record and receive compensation.

Thao shared: "This is a major national infrastructure project that will benefit not only our generation but future generations as well," Thao said. "Because of its importance, my family has fully supported the project and willingly handed over our land so construction can proceed as soon as possible."

Component projects simultaneously accelerate

Giap Van Binh, Deputy General Director of Gia Nghia–Chon Thanh Expressway Co., Ltd., said global geopolitical developments have significantly increased the prices of fuel, construction materials, labor and equipment, pushing total project costs up by more than VND2.7 trillion, or 14.46 percent. As a result, the project requires adjustments to its investment policy under Vietnam's Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Law. The investor has completed and submitted the dossier for the revised pre-feasibility study report for the project, proposing to increase the state budget contribution to 70 percent of total investment, extend the implementation timeline and allow the disbursement of more than VND6.8 trillion in Central government funding to be carried over to 2027. Dong Nai City's People's Committee has submitted the proposal to the Prime Minister for approval.

Binh added: "Alongside recommending project adjustments, the project owner has directed contractors to take full advantage and construct immediately as soon as communes and wards hand over the site. Several units have already deployed and achieved certain results."

Nguyen The Diep, Site Manager for Hung Loc General Construction Co., Ltd., one of the contractors for Component Project 1, said his company is responsible for the section between Km71+360 and Km79+000, including two bridges. "About 80 percent of the site has already been handed over," Diep said. "Although heavy rains have continued in recent days, we are building worker camps and mobilizing machinery and equipment so that earthworks can begin immediately once weather conditions improve."

Construction of Component Project 3, which covers approximately 95.2 kilometers with a total investment of VND951 billion, is also progressing steadily. Contractors are currently building road embankments, drainage systems and overpasses while transporting construction materials to the site. Overall progress has reached approximately 30 percent, with around 70 percent expected to be completed by the end of September 2026. Component Project 5, valued at more than VND3.9 trillion, includes compensation and resettlement for more than 2,100 households and organizations affected by the acquisition of over 1,000 hectares of land, as well as the construction of six resettlement areas.

According to Duong Hoang Vu, Deputy Head of the Northern Dong Nai Key Projects Team under the city's Construction Investment Project Management Board, construction has already begun on Component Project 1, while 12 contract packages under Component Project 3 and four contract packages for resettlement areas under Component Project 5 are currently underway. Four resettlement sites, including Tien Hung, Dong Tam, Tan Phuoc and Tan Hung, have already been completed. Construction of the Ly Thuong Kiet Resettlement Area is being accelerated with completion targeted for September 2026, while the Thanh Tam Resettlement Area has substantially completed its main infrastructure, including roads, electricity, water supply, drainage and telecommunications systems. Work on the area's integrated drainage system is currently being adjusted to ensure synchronized implementation.

By Quang Minh - Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha