The Ministry of Transport expects around VND66.5 trillion (nearly US$3 billion) to be disbursed for transport infrastructure projects this year, with half of it coming from the private sector.

The ministry mentioned the huge capital disbursement in its reviewreport on transport projects for the first quarter of this year.

The ministry said that in the period nearly VND3.4 trillion (US$152.4 million) was mobilized for a project to upgrade and expand the Highway 60 section from Rach Mieu Bridge to Co Chien Bridge in the Mekong Delta under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) format and abuild-operate-own (BOO) project to install e-toll collection devices at tollgates on National Highway 1A and the Ho Chi Minh Road section in the Central Highlands region.

The total disbursements for 2016 comprise VND17.73 trillion (US$796 million) from the State budget, VND16.3 trillion (US$731.2 million) from Government bond sales, and VND32 trillion (US$1.4 billion) from other sources.

A number ofkey transport projects were put into use in the first quarter of this year.

They were Tan Phong Bridge in Nam Dinh Province, Hanoi-Bac Giang Expressway, the Ho Chi Minh Road section from Nam Can to Dat Mui, the Highway 1A section running through Tan An City in Long An Province, the Highway 61 section connecting Cai Tu and Go Quao in Tien Giang Province, 44 rail bridges, the passenger terminal at Tho Xuan airport, and an air traffic control tower at Cat Bi airport.

Work started onnine projects in the period such as Lo Te-Rach Soi road in the Mekong Delta, a road linking Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway and Sa Pa Town in Lao Cai Province in the January-March period.

In the 2016-2020 period, the ministry will prioritize finances for Dau Giay-Phan Thiet-Nha Trang and Ninh Binh-Thanh Hoa-Vung Ang expressways, and Long Thanh international airport.

Preparations for a tender to pick a consultant for the multi-billion airport project near completion.

ACV seeks best design for Long Thanh airportterminal

Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the investor of Long Thanh international airport, is organizing a contest to find the best design for the passenger terminal at the airport in the southern province of Dong Nai.

Architects can get registration forms at ACV for the contest from April 12 to May 12.

Their entries will be examined from June 13 to July 3, and the final results will be announced in late July.

The contest is heldas ordered by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to select the best design for the passenger terminal at Long Thanh airport.   

Earlier, ACV wanted a no-bidcontract to be awarded to a consulting firm for the feasibility study and terminal design for the airport project.

However, the Vietnam Association of Architects petitioned the Ministry of Transport to organize a contest.

Architects said Long Thanh airport would be an important gateway to Vietnam, so its design should represent the country’s culturally distinctive image.

Therefore, well-known architects and consultants in the world should be invited to join a contest to presentthe best design for the airport.

The airport project costs a total of more than US$16 billion, with nearly US$5.5 billion of it needed for phase one.

The first phase is scheduled to get off the ground in 2019 and be completed in 2022.

One runway and one terminal of phase one should be put into operation by 2025 to handle 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo a year as planned by the ministry.

One more runway and terminal would be built in the second phase to increase its capacity to 50 million passengers and 1.5 million tons of cargo a year.

The respective figures for the third phase would be 100 million and five million tons a year.