Transport / Road transport (non-urban)

The proposed Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay (HCMC - LT - DG) Expressway is to be a 55 kilometer, high speed, limited access expressway connecting Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh and to a junction with National Highway 1A at Dau Giay. The HCMC - LT - DG Expressway Preparation Project (the Project) will undertake activities required to (i) commence of the construction of the HCMC - LT - DG Expressway, and (ii) strengthen VEC as an independent infrastructure provider.

The outputs of the Project will be (i) detailed engineering designs approved; (ii) bidding documents issued; (iii) resettlement plans updated; (iv) Environmental Impact Assessment updated; (v) Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Concession documents prepared; (vi) a revised organizational structure for VEC prepared; (vii) training needs assessment complete and training program undertaken; and (ix) an asset management system identified and commissioned.

The Government?s Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP) for 2006?2010 identified the need for a network of high capacity, highspeed expressways to complement the network of national, provincial, and city roads. Under the Government's Expressway Master Plan, developed with Asian Development Bank (ADB) funding under the technical assistance to the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam for the Expressway Network Development Plan project approved in 2005 (TA4695-VIE) a short-term program of priority expressway projects was identified. This includes the HLD Expressway.

Greater Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is the largest city in Viet Nam and the country?s economic hub. However, the road network both within and around HCMC is becoming heavily congested, travel speeds are reducing, and transport costs are increasing. There is an urgent need to provide relief to the city roads connecting the center of HCMC and the port area with roads leading north from the city to central and northern Viet Nam. HCMC also lies at a critical junction on the transport network for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), so improvements to the network around HCMC will remove a major bottleneck on the GMS network.

The Ho Chi Minh City?Long Thanh?Dau Giay (HLD) Expressway Technical Assistance Project (the Project) will assist the Government of Viet Nam (the Government) to (i) complete documentation required for construction of the HLD Expressway, and (ii) undertake strengthening and capacity building at Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC).

1.1 Detailed engineering designs completed

1.2 Bidding documents prepared

1.3 Updated resettlement plans completed

1.4 Updated environmental impact assessment (EIA) completed

1.5 Civil works contracts procured by VEC

1.6 Operation and maintenance (O&M) concession documents prepared

1.7 Resettlement plan implemented by VEC

2.1 Revised organizational structure for VEC prepared

2.2 Identification of legal and regulatory constraints, and remedies, to VEC operating as an efficient, financially secure, provider of expressway facilities

2.3 Training needs assessment complete and training program

The implementation of Preparation Component (pre-construction activities) for the second section of 51 km was fully completed with the uRP, Stage 3 for Long Thanh district approved by ADB in December 2010. For the first section of 4 km, implementation of pre-construction activities, except the RP still being finalized, was also substantially completed. Remaining activities for the first 4km section, as agreed by parties concerned, are being be handed over to ADB's Construction Loan and JICA's Loan as well for completion and continuation after the loan closing date (LCD) of 30 June 2011 at no cost increase.

Final payment for the consulting service contract is expected to be made within the opened Loan's account of 30 September 2011.

Last payment has been settled and waiting to close loan account and PCR

Consultants will be recruited for the Project under a single contract and will be recruited and engaged by the Viet Nam Expressway Corporation (VEC). Recruitment procedures will be in accordance with ADB's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants (2006) and other arrangements satisfactory to ADB for the engagement of domestic consultants. Consultants will be recruited using the quality and cost-based selection procedures; full technical proposals will be requested. Equipment to be financed under the Project will be procured in accordance with ADB's Procurement Guidelines (2006).

The consulting services will be undertaken by an international consulting firm for about 365 person-months (101 person-months of international and 264 person-months of domestic consulting services). The consultants will have expertise in (a) expressway design including alignments, pavements, and bridges, road safety, road traffic information and toll systems, transport economics, financial analysis and assessment, environmental impact assessment, resettlement, and social issues, and in (b) organization design, training and human resource management, asset management systems, and legal and regulatory frameworks.