A bid package of over 1.38 trillion VND (76.6 million USD) to build a 3.5 km express road in Ho Chi Minh City under the North-South expressway project, was signed in Hanoi on August 5.

The contract, which will be conducted over 32 months, was inked by the Vietnam Expressway Corporation and the China Road and Bridge Corporation.

The first phase of the North-South expressway project covers a length of 51 km express road from HCM City to Dau Giay in southern Dong Nai province.

The HCM City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay section is capitalised at 15 trillion VND (932 million USD), with 5.7 million USD mobilised by the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) and the remainder as loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Once completed in 2013, the HCM City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay section will facilitate traffic to and from the Long Thanh international airport in Dong Nai province, which is touted as a replacement for Tan Son Nhat airport in HCM City .

The project is expected to reduce traffic jams and accidents, as well as boost economic growth in HCM City and surrounding provinces./.