The Vietnamese and Cambodian governments have agreed to jointly invest in an expressway connecting HCMC and the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh to facilitate road transportation between the two countries.

Vietnamese Minister of Transport Truong Quang Nghia and Cambodian Public Works and Transport Minister Sun Chanthol on April 25 signed a memorandum on construction of HCMC - Moc Bai and Phnom Penh - Bavet expressways.

The memorandum was one of four important documents signed during the official visit by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to the neighboring country on April 24 and 25.

The 65-kilometer HCMC - Moc Bai section will be built by the Vietnamese side while Cambodia will implement the 130-kilometer Phnom Penh - Bavet section with funding to be provided by Japan.

The HCMC - Moc Bai expressway with six lanes is planned to run in parallel with Highway 22, and is estimated to cost about US$650 million. It will allow for a maximum speed of 120 kilometers an hour.

The expressway will play an important role in connecting HCMC with the border economic zones and urban areas of the southern key economic zone, allowing for easier access to international seaports and airports and the ASEAN region.

The two sides also agreed to continue developing transport infrastructure.

The day earlier, Vietnam and Cambodia jointly inaugurated a bridge named Long Binh - Chrey Thom linking the two countries.

SGT