The three highway projects include a 120-kilometre highway from Hanoi to Lang Son, a 120-kilometre highway from Ha Long to Mong Cai and the 60-kilometre Ben Luc – Long Thanh highway, an integral section of the Eastern Economic Corridor of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).

The loan also aims to help Vietnam Highway Investment and Development Company, that will be responsible for carrying out the projects, to enhance its operational and management capacities.

ADB has also agreed to provide 1.5 million USD in non-refundable aid from the Japan Special Fund for the Ben Luc – Long Thanh highway project, as well as additional technical assistance worth 1.5 million USD for the designing of the other two highways.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, SBV’s Governor Nguyen Van Giau highlighted the ADB’s support for Vietnam and said that the construction of the highways will not only contribute to the development of key economic regions in the country, reducing traffic congestion and the number of road accidents, but will also help to improve the trade relationship between Viet Nam’s northern provinces and China’s Guangxi province.

ADB’s Country Director for Viet Nam , Ayumi Konishi, affirmed that the bank would continue to provide financial and technical assistance for the construction of Vietnam ’s highways in the future.