Driving Socioeconomic Development through Transportation Infrastructure

Bac Lieu province's road traffic infrastructure has made significant progress to play an important role in local socioeconomic development in recent years.

 Ganh Hao Port in Bac Lieu emerges as a deep-water seaport playing a pivotal role in economic growth and ensuring safety in the East Sea

Bac Lieu currently has 4,131km of roads. The basic road transport system covers the entire province, constructed in a fishbone shape, with the backbone being national highways and the branch routes being provincial roads and district roads. The basic road network connects provincial and district economic and political centers, reaching 77.9%. The asphalted road system smoothly connects from the provincial center to districts/towns and from district/town centers to wards/communes (currently, all 49 communes have asphalted roads to commune centers). With a density of 1.6 km of roads per square kilometer, it basically meets commodity and passenger transport needs in the province.

Regarding inland waterways, the river and canal system not only interlinks the province but also connects the province to the East Sea through Ganh Hao, Nha Mat and Cai Cung estuaries to create great advantages of developing the riverway and seaway transport system. However, without enough proper investment, their effectiveness is not high. The province has a total waterway length of 600.7km.

In the province, Ganh Hao fishing port is a 1.6-ha inland waterway port. The port is designed to accommodate 170 incoming and outgoing vessels a day and capable of receiving the largest ship of 600 CVs. The seafood throughput is 40,000 tons a year.

The existing waterway cargo transport system serves 5.5-6 million tons, accounting for 33% of the total cargo transport volume in the province, with an annual growth of 6-11%. The waterway passenger system serves 11-12 million passengers a year, accounting for 9.5% of the province’s total passenger volume, with an annual growth of 6-10%. These results show that waterway transport is not commensurate with the existing potential and has yet to meet the requirements of people and businesses.

To meet development requirements, Bac Lieu province urgently has solutions on road and waterway transport infrastructure development to increase connectivity with major economic centers.

Mr. Nguyen Huy Dung, Director of the Bac Lieu Transport Department, said: To continue carrying out breakthroughs in infrastructure development, the transport sector is advising on plans and solutions like implementing the traffic component in the Bac Lieu Provincial Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, immediately after being approved by the Government; actively coordinating with relevant agencies and localities to advise the Provincial People's Committee to mobilize investment resources for vital traffic works to facilitate the circulation of goods between provinces in the region with major economic centers (Can Tho City and Ho Chi Minh City) and vice versa.

Currently, the province takes advantage of central investment capital in expressways and national highways as planned; allocates State budget for expanding and upgrading provincial roads connected with expressways, national highways and coastal roads; utilizes aid and loans to build coastal roads passing through Bac Lieu province and branch roads linked to Nam Song Hau Road; actively invites investors to construct new arterial roads, ports and wharves as planned such as Xom Lung Bridge, Xom Lung - Cai Cung Road, Bac Lieu 5 Bridge, Ganh Hao Port, Bac Lieu Bus Station, and Ganh Hao Bus Station.

The department also advises the Provincial People's Committee to coordinate with the Ministry of Transport and related agencies to carry out projects invested by the Ministry of Transport on schedule such as Tho - Ca Mau Expressway, Ho Chi Minh Road, expanded and upgraded National Highway 1A (sections through Bac Lieu and Ca Mau provinces), and upgraded Nam Song Hau Road (sections through the province). The agency reviews and identifies the list of important transport projects and proposes the Provincial People’s Committee to include them into the medium public investment plan for the 2025 - 2030 period. It applies information technology and digital transformation to enhance managerial quality and effectiveness, protect traffic infrastructure to maintain stable operating conditions, and ensure safe and smooth traffic connectivity; and promptly prevents invasive acts to protect traffic infrastructure.

Xeo Vet Bridge, an important link connecting the provinces of Bac Lieu and Hau Giang

Increasing interconnectivity

Roads: Currently, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Soc Trang, Hau Giang and Kien Giang provinces have interlinking national highways like National Highway 1, Phung Hiep Highway, Nam Song Hau Road, National Highway 61, National Highway 63, Provincial Highway 976 (Bac Lieu - Hung Thanh to Soc Trang province), Provincial Highway 978C (connecting to Hau Giang province via Xeo Vet Bridge) and inland waterways along Ganh Hao River, Bac Lieu - Ca Mau Canal, and Quan Lo - Phung Hiep Canal.

Mr. Nguyen Huy Dung said: In the coming time, Bac Lieu will focus on enhancing regional connectivity through centrally invested road routes such as Can Tho - Ca Mau Expressway, Ha Tien - Rach Gia - Bac Lieu Expressway, Ho Chi Minh Road (Rach Soi - Ben Nhat and Go Quao - Vinh Thuan sections), National Highway 61B, National Highway 63B, coastal roads and locally invested provincial roads like Provincial Road 979 (building Ba Dinh Bridge connect to Kien Giang province). In addition, the province will invest in expanding and upgrading provincial roads connecting to national highways and expressways to increase traffic connectivity with other provinces such as Provincial Road 976 (Bac Lieu - Hung Thanh) to Soc Trang province, Provincial Road 980 Ganh Hao - Gia Rai - Pho Sinh - Canh Den (Gia Rai - Pho Sinh section) to Kien Giang province, Provincial Road 981 (Ho Phong - Chu Chi) to Ca Mau province.

Waterways: The province has important national waterways like Bac Lieu - Ca Mau riverway route, Quan Lo - Phung Hiep Canal, Ganh Hao River, Ganh Hao - Ho Phong Canal, Gia Rai - Pho Sinh Canal, Ho Phong - Chu Chi Canal, and Cau Sap - Ngan Dua Canal. With a 56-km coast, the province has five estuaries to the sea. Ganh Hao Port is a general port with a capacity for ships of 5,000 tons in Ganh Hao town, Dong Hai district.

“In the coming time, Bac Lieu province will mobilize investment resources to dredge inland waterways to enhance operating capacity and connect with coastal waterway transport corridors. At the same time, the province will actively attract investors into Ganh Hao Port, inland wharves and warehouses along Bac Lieu - Ca Mau Canal to collect, receive and transship goods along the coastal waterway transport corridor to regional provinces and Ho Chi Minh City as well as Tran De Port,” he added.

By Bich Hanh, Vietnam Business Forum