Viet Nam : GMS Kunming-Haiphong Transport Corridor - Noi Bai-Lao Cai Highway Project

Transport / Road transport (non-urban)

The Noi Bai-Lao Cai Highway is an integral section of the eastern link of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Northern Economic Corridor, connecting Kunming in Yunnan province of the PRC with Hanoi, and Hai Phong and Cai Lan ports in Viet Nam. Most of the existing national road between Hanoi and Lao Cai is narrow, with a large number of bridges with limited capacity, and there is substantial ribbon development on most of its length. By upgrading the Noi Bai-Lao Cai section, the Kunming-Hai Phong Transport Corridor will be completed.

Poverty in the project area is largely a result of inadequate access, caused by poor local road infrastructure. People living below the poverty line are suffering from poor accessibility to economic opportunities, education, and health services. The highway will decrease the cost of travel, which will encourage economic activities in the project area, provide employment opportunities for the local population, and improve access to social services.

Sustainable economic growth and strengthened connectivity with People's Republic of China (PRC) in the project area and along the KunmingHai Phong Transport Corridor

International and local traffic use an efficient, safe, and reliable express route from Noi Bai to Lao Cai on the border with PRC

The 244 km of Noi Bai-Lao Cai Highway, with 10 grade-separated interchanges and five service areas, is constructed to a high standard and operational

Current project Institutional and financial management capacity of VEC strengthened

Program on HIV/AIDS, human and illicit drug trafficking minimizes local population exposure to these issues

The alignment of the highway avoids environmentally sensitive areas. The project area is mainly agricultural and dominated by rice paddies. People have settled and cultivated the area for centuries. The EIA identified no habitats of vulnerable, threatened, or endangered flora or fauna within the Project's impact areas. However, the EIA identified several major environmental impacts during the construction period, and proposed mitigation measures and an EMP. Sand extraction in rivers for road embankment works was done at licensed areas, with care taken to minimize environmental impacts. Surplus excavated material generated in the mountainous and hilly sections was used for embankment of the additional two lanes in the Yen Bai-Lao Cai section of the highway. The total volumes of excavation and embankment for the Project were balanced as much as possible to minimize the need for soil disposal. The contractors were required to prepare site-specific EMPs to manage environmental impacts at construction camps and construction sites based on the EMP of the EIA. Public consultations were carried out in the local language in project-affected areas. The project design has taken local concerns into consideration and provides several underpasses and overpasses to maintain the functions of existing local roads and irrigation systems during the highways construction and operation. Noise barriers were installed in environmentally sensitive areas based on noise simulation results.

The contractors generally followed the EMPs during the constructions.