Copyright 2005 Thai Press Reports
Thai Press Reports

April 7, 2005

LENGTH: 644 words

HEADLINE: RAPID TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT IN VIETNAM'S CENTRAL HIGHLANDS
REGION

BODY:

Section: Regional News - Vietnam has paid due attention to building and
upgrading the transport infrastructure in the Central Highlands region of
Tay Nguyen, particularly since the country embarked on the national
renewal process.

The expansion of the local transportation system has contributed to
boosting socio-economic development and strengthening national security
and defence in the region, which comprises Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dac Lac, Dac
Nong and Lam Dong provinces.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) has defined the
Central Highlands region as an important part of the national network. For
that reason, a development plan for the region's transport and
communications system till 2010 will be mapped out alongside the master
plans of other branches of activities and the specific geographical
conditions of the region and the country as a whole.

Several projects to expand the Central Highlands region's transport and
communications network have been included in the sector's development plan
till 2010, its development strategy till 2020, and a master plan to
develop national highways till 2020.

The region will also benefit from projects to zone off border belt routes
in the central and Central Highlands regions, build the national Ho Chi
Minh Highway, and plan the transport network linking the
Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia development triangle.

The transport sector will focus on completing the construction of the Ho
Chi Minh Highway, upgrading roads linking with Laos and Cambodia, national
highways 14, 19, 20, 24, 25, and 28 and roads connecting the region to the
eastern part of the central region. It also plans to complete national
highway 14C and highway 40, which will join highway 18B in Laos.

The MoTC is preparing for a project to build a regional railway network,
running across Dac Nong, Dac Lac and Lam Dong provinces and joining the
national network.

Transport and communications projects to be carried out from now till 2010
include the upgrading of a 64 km portion of highway 19 linking Ham Rong to
the border with Cambodia, the construction of a 426 km segment of highway
14C, which runs through the Central Highlands provinces, the construction
of the 22 km Ngoc Hoi-Tan Canh portion of the Ho Chi Minh Highway, and the
upgrading of the 530 km Tan Canh-Buon Ma Thuot-Chon Thanh route.

In addition, the MoTC will cooperate with the Defence Ministry in the
building of the 700 km long Dong Truong Son route.

The Central Highlands has so far built 10 inter-provincial highways with a
total length of 2,000 km, accounting for 13 percent of country's total.

As part of the Ho Chi Minh Highway, a section linking Buon Ma Thuot city
of Dac Lac province and the southern province of Binh Phuoc was opened to
traffic in 2001. Another segment of the highway, which connects Dac Zon,
Dac Pet and Ngoc Hoi in the region was completed in 2003, and the
construction of a 282 km section from Ngoc Hoi to Buon Ma Thuot city has
begun.

In addition, national highways 20, 24, 25, 27, 28 and 40, which all link
to Laos' Highway 18B, have been already upgraded.

The Central Highlands also boasts 1,500 km of inter-district and 8,000 km
inter-commune roads.

Aviation is considered one of the two most important modes of transport in
the Central Highlands region, which is home to three airports, namely Lien
Khuong in Lam Dong, Buon Ma Thuot in Dac Lac and Plei Ku in Gia Lai.

These airports have been thoroughly upgraded over the past years.

As a result, the Buon Ma Thuot Airport is capable of accommodating the
Airbus A320 and 321. Meanwhile, a terminal, an apron, a control centre,
and an office area were constructed at the Plei Ku airport. Construction
of a 3,250 m runway is underway at the Lien Khuong airport. The new runway
has been designed to accommodate large-scale aircraft. - VNA

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