Nguyen Trung Hoa, Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment, Ministry of Construction, said concrete roads lasted 20 to 40 years, while bitumen roads had a life span of only nine years.

Another point was that while construction costs were much higher than for asphalt roads, maintenance costs were much lower. "Concrete highways are suitable for Viet Nam, especially in areas vulnerable to rains, storms and flooding," Hoa said. Hoa also said that waste concrete could be recycled as a filling for road bases.

Until recently, proposals to build highways of concrete had to be approved by the Prime Minister. This was because cement companies could not meet the demand. "The project is feasible now since companies have been able to produce enough cement," Hoa said. "This will also help reduce the importing of asphalt, which is currently at high price."

According to Du Ngoc Long, head of the Investment and Planning Unit of the Viet Nam Cement Industry Corporation, the main investor in the project, the new highway will cost more than VND30 trillion (US$1.7 billion) and take five years.

The first concrete highway from Ninh Binh to Thanh Hoa will be 121km long. It will run from Ninh Binh and end at the HCM Highway crossing point at Nghi Son Port, allowing vehicles to run 120km per hour. There will be eight lanes, three bridges and two tunnels.