On December 3, the Department of Construction of Gia Lai province said it had reported to the Provincial People's Committee on the study and proposal of an investment policy for the North-South expressway project in the West, Pleiku (Gia Lai) - Buon Ma Thuot (Dak Lak) - Gia Nghia (Lam Dong).
The investment in the Western Axis Expressway is in line with the transport network development orientation according to the Central Highlands Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, approved by the Prime Minister.
Currently, the connection, trade and transportation of goods between the Central Highlands provinces is mainly via National Highway 14 (Ho Chi Minh Road). If there is an additional expressway, this will be important for the defense and security strategy of the Central Highlands, while supporting natural disaster prevention and handling complex and unexpected situations.
The Pleiku - Buon Ma Thuot - Gia Nghia Expressway will also help strengthen the connection between the Central Highlands and Laos, Cambodia, the Central, Southern and Southwestern regions.
In November 2025, Duc Long Gia Lai Group Joint Stock Company proposed to the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee an investment plan for the Pleiku - Buon Ma Thuot - Gia Nghia section with a length of 257 km. Of which, the section passing through Gia Lai is 56.7 km long; Dak Lak is 125.5 km long; Lam Dong is 74.8 km long.
The total preliminary investment for the entire route is expected to be about VND 76,985 billion, implemented in the form of public-private partnership (PPP), which is a contract between a competent state agency and a private enterprise for management and operation. Investors plan to mobilize 30% of capital, and the remaining 70% is supported by the state budget.
The provincial Department of Construction assessed that investors' proposal of state capital not exceeding 70% is in accordance with the provisions of the Investment Law.
For the 56.7 km passing through Gia Lai, the estimated investment is about VND17,000 billion. The project implementation period is expected to be 4 years; if Gia Lai participates with the investor, the province will have to balance about 3,000 billion VND per year from the local budget.
However, the province is currently focusing resources on other key projects such as the Pleiku - Quy Nhon Expressway and upgrading and expanding Phu Cat Airport.
The local budget is not yet capable of allocating participating capital, except in cases where the Central Government assigns tasks and allocates capital for Gia Lai province to jointly implement with investors.
