$965 mln road to link three Mekong Delta localities

Authorities from Can Tho and Dong Thap and Kien Giang provinces met on Friday and agreed to submit a proposal to the Ministries of Planning and Investment and Finance to build the road.

It will start in Cao Lanh District in Dong Thap, cross the Tien River to meet with national highways 80 and 54, cross the Hau River, run through Can Tho City, and end in Kien Giang.

They estimate it to cost VND22.6 trillion ($965 million), and propose to use official development assistance loans from Japan and counterpart Vietnamese government funds.

They said this corridor would play an important role in promoting development not only in their three localities but also the entire Mekong Delta, which comprises 13 localities.

It is in a master plan for the development of the delta in 2021-30 approved by the government in June.

The delta, which spans over 3.9 million hectares, is Vietnam’s rice basket and also accounts for 70 percent of fisheries output and 60 percent of fruits, and contributes over 17 percent of the country’s GDP.

Around 20 million people call it home.