Chairman of Long An Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Ut once emphasized that sustainable development requires a synchronous and reasonable infrastructure system, especially transport infrastructure. Being aware of this importance, the provincial transport industry has always strived to improve the transport infrastructure system to foster local socioeconomic development. To know about the local transport development, our reporter had an interview with Mr. Dang Hoang Tuan, Director of Long An Department of Transport. Hoang Lam reports.
Could you please tell us about the achievements in the transport industry?
In the past year, the province has fostered the construction and development of the transport network, focusing on timely and effective implementation of key projects, especially three key projects stated in the 10th Provincial Party Congress and Resolution 07-NQ/TU. The province also started the construction of key projects and 14 projects engaged by all possible stakeholders. Specifically, Provincial Road 830 from Duc Hoa to Long An Port is the lifeline for transporting goods from industrial zones in Duc Hoa, Ben Luc, Can Duoc and Can Giuoc districts to Long An Port for export and vice versa. The province has upgraded Provincial Roads 830 and 824 on the 23.16-km section from An Thanh Bridge to Duc Hoa Town, and the section from National Highway 50 to Long An Port. In addition, the province has carried out synchronously the rural traffic development planning to ensure sustainable economic development.
Furthermore, the department has also actively cooperated with other agencies to propose traffic investment, and integrated it with major provincial programs such as the new rural development program and transport infrastructure development program for industrial development. As a result, many rural roads have been built and upgraded to give a facelift to socioeconomic development and make positive changes to rural areas. Typical projects include Thu Thua - Binh Thanh - Hoa Khanh Road, Provincial Road 816 (Binh Duc - Binh Hoa Nam), Provincial Road 817 (Vam Thu - Binh Hoa Tay); Canal Road 79 (National Highway 62 – Tan Hung). Currently, 62 communes in the province meet traffic criteria, with 34 communes having well-built roads connecting to their administrative centers.
The transport sector has also strictly applied Decree 100 of the Government, making improvements in the public sense of traffic participation. Notably, traffic accidents were reduced to 128 cases, claiming 71 lives and 78 injuries in 2021, compared to 168 cases (down 23.8%), 101 casualties (down 29.7%) and 78 injuries in 2020.
Has the “Government and people work together” approach contributed to these amazing successes?
Certainly, the core factor to the sector’s successes is the consensus and joint effort of branches at all levels, for instance, the close attention, leadership and direction of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People’s Committee in quickly carrying out projects, and close coordination of relevant sectors in proposing and advising the Provincial People's Committee to arrange and allocate capital sources. The province has upheld the "Government and people work together" approach, specifically by engaging people in site clearance. To date, hundreds of households have voluntarily donated land, money and time for road construction and upgrading, especially commune and hamlet roads, for easier mobility of people and transport of goods to reduce cost and time in mobility and attract more investment funds in agriculture and rural areas. In addition, the Rural Bridge Construction Program, launched by former President Truong Tan Sang, mobilized benefactors and sponsors to fund the construction of more than 350 rural bridges and culverts worth VND300 billion in border districts and rural areas.
Could you please briefly introduce your general transport development direction in the coming time, especially to 2025 and to 2030?
In the coming time, we will focus on developing the transport infrastructure system of the key economic region in the 2021-2025 period and to 2030. We will advise the Provincial People's Committee to carry out three key projects and the social investment program (eight projects) to basically complete the transport infrastructure system in the districts and cities in the key economic regions of the province. These traffic routes will facilitate the interconnectivity of industrial zones from Duc Hoa, Ben Luc, Can Duoc and Can Giuoc districts to Long An International Port. In particular, in the future, Long An International Port will be a bright spot in the province in logistics infrastructure development and a focal point to attract commodity import and export for the province and neighboring localities.
Besides, we attach equal importance to studying traffic connectivity to neighboring provinces. Therefore, we will work with and propose to the Provincial People's Committee a list of important routes linked to Ho Chi Minh City, Tien Giang, Tay Ninh, and Dong Thap provinces. In the 2021-2025 period, the province will focus on completing key routes, especially to Ho Chi Minh City, to reduce transport pressure on routes that cannot be expanded such as National Highway 1 and National Highway N2 and facilitate investment attraction. In the planning work, the province will complete the province-wide transport network that links industrial zones and urban areas to Long An Port, give investment priority to backbone traffic routes and complete the transport system to ensure harmonious development and balance of interests between urban areas and rural areas.
Long An is both located in the southern key economic region and on the economic gateway of Mekong Delta provinces, thus endowed with great advantages of economic geography. We are deeply aware of our responsibility for timely implementation and quality assurance of large-scale transport projects to quickly revive the province's economy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, infrastructure embellishment and upgrading is very necessary to create new motivation to improve the people's material and spiritual life and ensure sustainable development in many fields.
Thank you very much!
By Hoang Lam, Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
October 2024
Hanoi