With a highway, businesses will increase profits
In Gia Lai province, there is currently only National Highway 19 connecting to Binh Dinh province. This is a vital route for transporting goods and agricultural products to Quy Nhon seaport for export to foreign markets.
Mr. Phan Van Manh - the owner of a private enterprise in Pleiku city - said: "If there is a highway with strong development of logistics services, the raw material areas for agricultural products such as coffee, pepper, durian... in Gia Lai and Kon Tum for transportation will be convenient, increasing profits for businesses and farmers to produce".
Gia Lai has a Le Thanh International Border Gate to trade with Cambodia. Kon Tum has a Y borough International Border Gate to trade with both Laos and Cambodia. Every year, thousands of container trucks cross mountainous roads to bring goods to the central seaport. The road is steep, drivers move at a slow speed, limiting the ability to transport imported goods and equipment.
In February 2025, the Government Office issued Official Letter No. 1205/VPCP-CN on notifying the Prime Minister's opinion on the investment plan to build the Quy Nhon - Pleiku expressway connecting the two provinces of Gia Lai and Binh Dinh.
Accordingly, the Quy Nhon - Pleiku expressway project will have a total length of about 123km. The section through Binh Dinh province is about 37.4km long, the section through Gia Lai province is about 85.6km long, with a scale of 4 lanes, designed speed of 100km/h.
The total preliminary investment of the project is about 36,594 billion VND, of which the cost of site clearance is about 3,733 billion VND; the cost of construction and equipment is about 26,833 billion VND... The Government agreed to approve the conversion of the project investment study under the PPP method to investment research under the form of public investment.
leverage helps the northern Central Highlands rise
Regarding the development of expressways, the Government has assigned central ministries and branches to preside over and coordinate with the People's Committees of Gia Lai and Binh Dinh provinces to determine the feasibility of balancing capital, ensuring feasibility and efficiency and submit to competent authorities for consideration and decision on the project investment policy in May 2025.
In Kon Tum province, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Ngoc Tuan has issued a document requesting the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction) to consider and allocate funding to implement investment in the North - South expressway in the West section through Ngoc Hoi - Kon Tum - Pleiku in the period of 2021 - 2030 according to approved plans.
"This expressway will ensure connectivity between provinces in the region, creating connectivity in the Central Highlands, Central Coast, and Southeast regions. The expressway will facilitate connections with international border gates to Laos and Cambodia; strengthen the connection of the Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia development triangle area" - Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan said.
In the Road Network Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, the North-South expressway in the West through Kon Tum province includes the Ngoc Hoi - Pleiku section of 90km long, with a scale of 6 lanes, and an investment process before 2030.
To ensure national defense and security in the Central Highlands, by 2030, with a vision to 2045, the competent authority will continue to study and invest in expressways including: Pleiku - Buon Ma Thuot, Buon Ma Thuot - Gia Nghia.
Mr. Tran Lanh - Director of an agricultural product purchasing company in Ngoc Hoi district (Kon Tum) - shared: "Gods transported from Laos, Cambodia to the mainland or transit goods exported to third countries must travel daily on the narrow pass of National Highway 14 (Ho Chi Minh Road), National Highway 24 to Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, many steep slopes, fuel costs are expensive. Not to mention the accident when going down the pass, the long transportation time leads to damage to goods. Therefore, with highways, businesses will be able to reduce transportation costs to increase profits, both for people and the consumer market to benefit.
