Nhat Tan Bridge, one of the major infrastructure projects using Japan's ODA loans (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Many key transportationprojects in Vietnam using Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) havebeen put into action over the past 45 years since the two countries establishedtheir diplomatic ties. The projects have helped complete local infrastructure demand,serving the country’s rapid growth.
Launched in 1986, Vietnam’s Doi Moi (reform) policyhas geared the country towards modernisation, building a market-based economyand speeding up integration with the international community. The progressspurred development demand, particularly for transport infrastructureconstruction.
In November 1992, Japan resumed its ODA to Vietnam. Sincethen, Japan has continuously been the biggest ODA provider to Vietnam,contributing greatly to the improvement of Vietnamese traffic infrastructure. Accordingto the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), as of 2013, Japan’s ODA hadsupported Vietnam to develop a total of 3,309km of roads and 287 bridges. Inparticular, the country helped Vietnam build a total of 650km of national roadsand about 70 percent of the total length of Vietnam’s four-lane nationalhighways.
Among these constructions, the Nhat Tan Bridge, HaiVan tunnel, and the Tan Vu-Lach Huyen port are among those that have left the strongestimpression and helped significantly propel the local economy forward.
Nhat Tan: the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Bridge
Nhat Tan Bridge, a gateway to the capital city and oneof the longest cable suspension bridges in Vietnam, has been named the“Vietnam-Japan Friendship Bridge” as an acknowledgement of its support fromJapan.
Considered a gift from the Japanese Government, presented to Hanoi on the occasionof its 60th Liberation Day, the eight-lane bridge is 3.75km long and 33.2mwide, with access roads at each end totalling 5.17km. It links Phu Thuong wardin Tay Ho district and Nam Hong commune in Dong Anh district on the way to theNoi Bai International Airport.
The project was approved by the Ministry of Transport in 2006 with a totalinvestment of more than 13.6 trillion VND (647.6 million USD), of which a largeproportion was provided as ODA from the Japanese Government. It was opened totraffic in 2015.
Nguyen Le Minh, head of the project’s executive board,said the Vietnamese side gained valuable knowledge from Japanese experts duringits construction. Both sides jointly devised a number of building methods toovercome challenges and ensure the project’s progress and quality.
Tojuro Nishi, the project director in charge of building the main bridge andthe northern access road, said he is proud to have helped Vietnamese engineersin building this historical bridge.
Hai Van Tunnel curbs traffic accidents, spurs central growth
The entrance of Hai Van Tunnel from Da Nang to Hue (Photo: VNA) As part of its assistance for the Vietnamese Ministryof Transport, JICA helped the country tackle a hotbed of road accidents,facilitate traffic flow, and spur the development of the central region withthe construction of the Hai Van Tunnel.
Situated on the National Highway No.1, a north-southtrunk line for the transport of people and goods, the Hai Van mountain passconnects the central economic hub of Da Nang with the tourist city of Hue.Reaching a peak altitude of 496m with windy roads that are prone to fallingrocks during the rainy season, the road section over the pass was a danger zonefor traffic accidents, hindering smooth transportation on the highway, as wellas growth in the central region.
Between 1997 and 2002, JICA provided loans worth morethan 18.85 billion JPY (166 million USD) for the country to construct the HaiVan Tunnel as well as an approaching road and nearby bridges (including Lang CoBridge) to ensure efficient transport and traffic safety along the section. Thefunding was also allocated to building infrastructures at the location wheresome 72 families were to be relocated for the project.
Construction began in August 2000, with costsamounting to 150 million USD and involving over 2,000 labourers. The tunnelsegment was split into two parts, the 4km southern portion, constructed byJapanese construction company Hazama, and the 2km northern portion, constructedby a joint venture between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea.
Hai Van Tunnel was completed in June 2005, spanning about6.28km in length, which at that time made it the longest of its kind inSoutheast Asia. It shortened the travelling time of crossing the Hai Vanmountain pass from more than one hour to just 15 minutes, expanding the trafficnetwork in the central area and improving goods distribution between Hanoi inthe north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south.
Lach Huyen International Port: first Vietnam-Japan PPP project
Lach Huyen International Port in Hai Phong City (Photo courtesy of JICA) The Lach Huyen International Port InfrastructureConstruction Project was opened in May this year. It was the firstpublic-private partnership project between Japan and Vietnam, with the publicportion financed by Japan’s ODA, while the private one invested by a jointventure of Japanese and Vietnamese partners.
Considered one of the most important Japanese ODAprojects in Vietnam, it received 114.12 billion JPY (over 1 billion USD) andJapanese construction technologies from JICA between 2011 and 2018. Of thetotal funding, the port component accounted for 65.252 billion JPY and thebridge and road component 48.885 billion yen.
The project has answered the demand of higher cargovolumes and of handling larger vessels by building a new international deep-seaport and related basic infrastructure in Lach Huyen area in the eastern part ofHai Phong City, thereby contributing to Vietnam’s economic development andgreater competitiveness in the international market.
Under the project, the Dinh Vu Bridge, which spans5.44km and is the longest sea-crossing bridge in Vietnam, opened to traffic in2017.
As Vietnam and Japan witness their extensivestrategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia growing across all fields,JICA’s commitment to financing important transport infrastructure projects in theSoutheast Asian country continues to be a strong pillar of their win-wincooperation. –VNA
