After many years of proposing solutions to speed up the construction of the Dien Bien - Son La expressway but not yet becoming a reality, in early 2025, Dien Bien province continued to propose to the Government to prioritize the implementation of the Son La - Dien Bien - Tay Trang Border Gate expressway in the period of 2026 - 2030, to complete the CT.03 expressway axis according to the plan.
However, recently at the meeting with voters after the 9th session of the 15th National Assembly in Dien Bien province, Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang said that the Ministry of Finance supports the early investment in the Son La - Dien Bien expressway section under the PPP form as originally planned by the province.
However, according to the Minister, the scale of the project must change, and 3 complete lanes must be built. Therefore, he suggested that Dien Bien province should review the planning, work with potential investors and carry out procedures to re-submit the project.
Minister Nguyen Van Thang also said that for the remaining section from Dien Bien to Tay Trang border gate above on the CT.03 expressway axis, the Ministry of Finance will report to the Government to continue investing in Dien Bien to complete this route in the period of 2026-2030 and study a suitable implementation plan...
"However, whether using ODA capital or the state budget, it must be done very quickly. If ODA capital is needed, the period from negotiation to disbursement must not exceed 15 months, in normal cases only 12 months" - Mr. Nguyen Van Thang emphasized.

Previously, after many years of proposing construction plans for the Dien Bien - Son La expressway but still unable to be implemented, in early 2025, Dien Bien province continued to issue a document requesting the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Construction to invest in the construction of the Son La - Dien Bien - Tay Trang border gate expressway in the period of 2026 - 2030 to ensure the completion of the entire CT.03. expressway.
Accordingly, Dien Bien province committed to carry out compensation and site clearance for the Project (in Dien Bien) using local resources. According to Mr. Le Thanh Do - Chairman of Dien Bien Provincial People's Committee, the road connection from Hanoi to Dien Bien province is currently mainly via National Highway 6 and National Highway 279. This is a unique route, technical standards for grade III and IV mountainous roads, with large slopes, and many limitations.
Meanwhile, the Hanoi - Hoa Binh - Son La - Dien Bien Expressway (CT.03) with a total length of about 450 km is being gradually invested in in stages. The section from Hanoi to Moc Chau with a length of 119 km is being implemented, expected to be completed and put into use in 2028. The Moc Chau - Son La - Dien Bien - Tay Trang border gate section with a length of about 305 km has not yet been invested.
In recent years, Dien Bien province has repeatedly issued documents proposing the implementation of the Dien Bien - Son La Expressway Construction Project and has been approved by the Prime Minister for investment under the PPP method, the type of BTL contract in the period of 2022-2030. At the same time, the People's Committee of Dien Bien province is assigned as the competent authority to implement the project.
However, due to financial difficulties, despite working with many investors, Dien Bien province has not yet found a feasible solution for the expressway project. The Provincial People's Committee then proposed that the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Planning and Investment support the entire State capital participating in the project, with the amount of VND 4,620 billion from the central budget.
The total estimated investment is VND9,246 billion, of which State capital accounts for nearly 50%, the rest is undertaken by investors. Dien Bien province committed to allocating more than 500 billion VND from the local budget to carry out site clearance. However, the project has not been implemented yet.