ADB provides US$188 million for transport in VN's mountainous northwest

The project aims to help the region overcome those difficulties by ensuring high standards for road construction and addressing the risks posed by climate change. 

It will also run an awareness campaign for road safety to help the residents in these disadvantaged areas deal with increased traffic speed and volume on the expressway.

According, it will connect several remote areas of the region to the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway, will boost the area’s trade with two neighboring countries, Lao and China. 

With climate-resilient features such as slope protection in areas prone to landslides and rockfalls, the project will provide the area’s population reliable access to basic social services, such as education, health care, job training, and emergency disaster relief.

Viet Nam’s northwest region, which includes the provinces of Dien Bien, Hoa Binh, Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Son La, and Yen Bai, lags behind the rest of the country in economic and social development. 

In 2016, the poverty rate is 45%, compared with 18%nationwide. The region relies on small-scale industrial companies, such as stone, lime brick, and metal ore exploitation and processing.

The provinces have not benefited from the backbone of the northwest region’s road network, the Noi Bai-Lao CaiExpressway, which is part of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Kunming-Hai Phong Transport Corridor.

 By Vien Nhu