Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is expected to attend the groundbreaking ceremony, said Chanthol at an inauguration ceremony of a traffic project in Phnom Penh on April 21.

The US$1.6 billion expressway, the second of its kind in Cambodia, will have a total length of 138km and bridge across the Mekong River.

Chanthol revealed that Vietnam will also kick-start construction of the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai expressway to connect with the Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway.

He expected that the two projects would be completed by the end of 2026 or early 2027 at the latest.

In 2022, Cambodia put into use its first expressway connecting the capital Phnom Penh and the port city of Preah Sihanouk. The 187km long and four-lane route had an investment cost of US$2 billion invested by a Chinese company in the form of build - operate - transfer (BOT) with an operating time of 50 years.

Source: VOV