As a mountainous province with more than 333 km of border with China, Cao Bang has an important strategic position in building and protecting the country. At the same time, the province has many advantages for socio-economic development. However, for many years, Cao Bang has remained one of the disadvantaged mountainous provinces.

Due to unsynchronized transport infrastructure, from Cao Bang, if one wants to reach the country's major political, economic and social centers, he/she has no other choice than using the road transport system including the National Highways 3 (Hanoi - Thai Nguyen - Bac Kan - Cao Bang) and National Highway 4A (Hanoi - Lang Son - Cao Bang), with a total travel time from 6 - 7 hours.

Therefore, more than ever, Cao Bang needs a highway to facilitate its trade and awaken its potential for socio-economic development. Cao Bang urgently needs a highway to facilitate trade and awaken the potential for socio-economic development.

However, Cao Bang also has many potentials and advantages, including the potential for border economic development, especially trade and services. Located at the gateway for goods trade from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the West and Southwest provinces of China to the sea and to Southeast Asian countries, Cao Bang has many pairs of border gates across the Vietnam-China border, creating many potentials and advantages to exchange products and goods, especially agricultural products...

With the above prospect, the Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressway project is expected to open the door to trade with China, making Cao Bang a gateway connecting the southwestern provinces of China with Cao Bang - Lang Son - Hanoi to Hai Phong; connecting the southern provinces of Vietnam with the provinces of Bac Kan - Thai Nguyen - Hanoi, connecting with the provinces of Ha Giang - Tuyen Quang and the northwestern provinces of Vietnam.

Further, this expressway will form a southern transport route connecting Southeast Asia to the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou (China) to Central Asia and Europe, ensuring smooth trade and improving investment efficiency in infrastructure in general and regional connection infrastructure in particular at the same time.

In addition, this road will help connect horizontal axes in the highway system network, promoting the effectiveness of inaugurated and ongoing projects, connecting economic centers, international border gates and seaports of Quang Ninh and Hai Phong provinces, meeting transportation needs on the economic corridor in the Northern region, creating motivation and development space for the entire Northeast region with modern, synchronized technical and social infrastructure systems. With these characters, the road will contribute to ensuring national defense, security, and poverty reduction; improving the competitiveness of Vietnam’s economy, successfully implementing the goals and tasks of the country's socio-economic development according to the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress.

To realize this project, the entire political system of Cao Bang province has been exerted great efforts so that the project can be implemented as quickly and effectively as possible. This is a push to help the province's socio-economic development and integration, while creating a position and strength to maintain national defense and security in the northern border region.

Chairman of the Cao Bang Provincial People's Committee Hoang Xuan Anh said that although the project was included in the planning of Vietnam's expressway network development towards 2030 approved by the Prime Minister, and was implemented since March 2016, due to the total investment capital of the project is huge while the local government’s capacity is limited, so for a long time the province could not find investors. On August 10, 2020, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 1212/QD-TTg officially approving the project's investment policy in the form of public-private partnership (PPP), opening up great opportunities for the province to realize this project.

On September 15, 2023, the Cao Bang Provincial People's Committee approved the construction investment project in Decision No. 1199/QD-UBND. On November 27, 2023 the province approved the results of selecting investors for Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressway in Decision No. 1629/QD-UBND, who are Deo Ca Group - ICV Vietnam Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company, Deo Ca Transport Infrastructure Investment Joint Stock Company - 568 Construction Joint Stock Company.

Currently, site clearance sub-projects in the two provinces of Cao Bang and Lang Son are focusing on installing piles for site clearance, spanning 56 km/69.06 km; handing over site clearance documents and site clearance milestone stakes to the People's Committees of Thach An and Quang Hoa districts spanning 34.1/41.35 km. Lang Son province has installed land clearance stakes in the field reaching 46.3 km/52 km. The work of clearing bombs, mines, explosives, and moving power lines is being implemented according to regulations. Along with that, procedures related to the project are being urgently completed by the province and related parties, ready for the groundbreaking ceremony on January 1, 2024.

According to plan, the project will complete phase 1 in 2026. It is expected that phase 2 of the project will be invested after 2026. In phase 2, the remaining 27.71 km, which runs from the end point of phase 1 at Km 93+350 to the end point at the border of Tra Linh border gate economic zone, Trung Khanh district.

Hoa An