Disjointed construction site
As one of 120 projects on the list of important national projects, key to the transport sector, the Cho Moi - Bac Kan (Thai Nguyen) expressway project started construction in March 2025 with a length of 28.8km, with a total investment of more than VND 5,750 billion.
The route is designed with a scale of 4 lanes, starting point connecting Thai Nguyen - Cho Moi Expressway, ending point connecting Bac Kan - Cao Bang Expressway, expected to create a development boost for the Northern midland and mountainous region.
However, it was noted that in mid-September 2025, the current status of the project site was still "steady", the entire route had only handed over 179 hectares of land, reaching 68.41%, equivalent to about 24.5/28.8km, but the actual construction was only over 8km, divided into many small sections. This situation has caused the construction to be interrupted, many items cannot be implemented synchronously.
The main reason is that some households have not agreed to the compensation plan, are slow to receive support money or keep land waiting for trees to be harvested. Notably, a fence has appeared in Na Giao village, Thanh Thinh commune, hindering machinery operations. Some public infrastructure items have not been relocated, so the site cannot be handed over.
In Bac Kan ward, the route passes through 5.53km with 438 households affected, most of whom have received compensation and land allocation, but there are still households that have not agreed on the plan, mainly related to trees and crops.
For example, Mr. Trieu Van Kinh in Hop Thanh village, Bac Kan ward has not agreed with the non-approval of the compensation plan for the land and access, and is still being re-measured. Similarly, Mr. Ha Van Toan and the village have not yet received all the money for compensation for trees and resettlement support.
Information from Ms. Nong Thi Thanh Nga - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Bac Kan Ward, at the propaganda sessions, people were specifically explained about compensation and support policies. The working group had a direct dialogue, removed any questions and hoped that households would agree to hand over the site to contribute to ensuring the project's progress.
Struggling to remove land obstacles
In parallel with the participation of the locality, the contractor is still facing many difficulties. In Thanh Mai and Thanh Thinh communes, many sections of the route have machinery but construction is slow due to lack of clean land.
Informing the reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper, the representative of the construction unit said that some areas of the power line have not been relocated. In addition, due to steep mountain terrain, heavy rain from the beginning of the year causing landslides and flooding also directly affects the progress.
In addition, the shortage of construction materials and low-capacity quarries have not met the requirements, causing some items on the expressway to be delayed.
To resolve the issue, the unit has proposed that the People's Committee of Thai Nguyen province promptly direct the relocation of technical infrastructure in September, especially for high-voltage power lines, to be completed by December 2025 at the latest.
At the same time, the handover of clean land for the entire route must be completed in September to be able to be implemented according to plan. The two resettlement areas in Thanh Thinh and Thanh Mai communes were also urgently built to help people soon stabilize their housing.
Another important solution is to arrange a dumping site, the unit proposes a mechanism for land acquisition and allocation according to the Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressway model to thoroughly handle the excess soil and rock. Regarding material sources, it is recommended to direct stone quarries to increase capacity to meet demand in time.
With the reality of "sticky rice and bean" land combined with many problems that have not been resolved, the plan to bring the Cho Moi - Bac Kan expressway to the finish line by 2026 is at risk of missing the set target.
