Traffic unsafety risk
The project to upgrade DT. 721 section from Da Huoai commune to Da Teh commune has a total investment of about 650 billion VND, a length of more than 16.6km, a scale of 3 lanes, and a roadbed width of 14.5m.
The project started in August 2024, undertaken by a joint venture of Khanh Hoa Road Construction Management Joint Stock Company and Tan Khanh Hoa Co., Ltd.
When completed, the road is expected to become an important trade connecting axis of the southern region of Lam Dong province. Thereby, contributing to promoting socio-economic development and expanding regional linkage space.
However, after nearly 2 years of implementation, the construction site is still in a messy state. Many road sections are dug unfinished, piles of soil and rocks, machinery operates intermittently, and construction personnel are sparse.
Mr. Duong Van Oanh (resident of Da Huoai commune) said that his family is doing small business, but for many months now it has been blocked by construction right on the front, so business has been almost stalled.
“Previously, people were very excited because the road was upgraded. But the more construction, the more messy it became, it was difficult to travel, and life was disrupted. We just hope the project will be completed soon to stabilize our lives,” Mr. Oanh said.
According to records, although most of the site has been handed over, many sections of horizontal culverts and roadbeds are still under construction. Some locations have appeared mud, potholes, posing a potential risk of traffic unsafety.
Mr. Dinh Trong Dai (resident in Da Huoai commune) reflected that in the past time, many motorbike falls have occurred when people travel through the construction area.
People have repeatedly complained to the local authorities, but the remediation is still slow," Mr. Dai said.
After a period of difficulties in site clearance and lack of embankment land, local authorities and related units have focused on removing them. Up to now, about 15.6/6.6km of site has been handed over, reaching more than 90% of the volume.
However, the construction progress has not improved significantly. Along the route, many locations are almost stalled, greatly affecting people's travel and transportation of goods.
Slow construction, alarming disbursement
According to assessments by relevant agencies, in addition to the land area still stuck at 37 households, the major difficulty currently is the high increase in construction material prices and scarce supply.
The price of soil, sand, and rock continuously fluctuates, causing many contractors to fall into a state of slow construction...
Notably, this is not the first time contractors have been reminded for slow progress. Since 2025, many construction units have been continuously criticized, but the sluggish situation still persists.
It is worth mentioning that in 2026, Lam Dong province allocated more than 353 billion VND of public investment capital for the project. However, by mid-May, the project had only disbursed about 7.3 billion VND, equivalent to about 2% of the annual capital plan.
This figure clearly reflects the paradox of "having money but not being able to spend it". In the context of public investment being seen as a driving force for economic growth, the fact that large capital sources are waiting while construction projects are slow causes huge waste.
Faced with the risk that DT. 721 route will continue to become a "bottleneck" pulling back the province's overall disbursement rate, the Construction Investment Project Management Board No. 1 of Lam Dong province has requested contractors to urgently rectify the apparatus and accelerate construction.
The goal is to complete the roadbed in May and deploy asphalt concrete paving in June 2026. If progress continues to be violated, the investor will fine and recover the volume to transfer to another capable unit.
Provincial leaders also requested strict handling of weak contractors, not allowing prolonged delays on key traffic projects.
