A design of the Cho Moi-Bac Kan Expressway
Nearly three months after its groundbreaking ceremony, the VND 5,700 billion (approximately USD 223 million) Cho Moi–Bac Kan expressway project in northern mountainous Bac Kan Province has yet to begin full-scale construction, hindered by unresolved land clearance issues.
The project, under the Ministry of Transport, officially commenced in mid-March 2025.
The 29-kilometre route is designed with four lanes, a roadbed width of 22 metres, a design speed of 80 kilometres per hour, and includes 16 bridges and two overpasses.
It directly affects 1,210 households, organisations, and individuals, including 175 families requiring relocation.
However, progress on land clearance remains slow, preventing contractors from initiating work across the entire route.
According to the project’s management board, as of early June 2025, Bac Kan Province had handed over only about 10.6 per cent of the required land, equivalent to just 2.13 kilometres out of the total 28.4-kilometre alignment.
Mac Van Nghiep, the project director, said the main bottleneck lies in difficulties applying the newly enacted Land Law, which has delayed compensation and resettlement procedures.
Phuong Thanh Company, which is responsible for constructing over 20 kilometres of the expressway, has so far gained access to just 800 metres of site area.
Tran Ba Luan, a representative of Phuong Thanh, said the firm had advanced part of its budget to cover temporary land rental and relocation support while working with local authorities to persuade residents to hand over land voluntarily and facilitate timely construction.
Speaking on the project’s implementation, Dinh Quang Tuyen, Standing Vice Chairman of the Bac Kan Provincial People’s Committee, said the expressway is one of the province’s key infrastructure investments.
As such, the provincial government is making urgent efforts to resolve compensation and site clearance issues for affected households.
One major challenge is the construction of resettlement areas. Surveys show that 80 to 90 per cent of residents prefer to arrange their own new housing rather than relocate to designated resettlement zones.
Although the province has offered support of up to VND 200 million (approximately USD 7,800) per household, many families remain unsatisfied, citing higher construction costs for new homes.
In response, local authorities are considering increasing support for self-relocating households and expanding compensation policies to cover lost agricultural land assets, grave relocation, temporary housing, and other related expenses.
“Our goal is to complete land handover by the end of June so that contractors can begin full-scale construction,” Tuyen affirmed.
