Worries about the school year
In late August, from early morning, trucks carrying bauxite ore and raw wood are moving around, carrying thick fog on National Highway (QL) 14D - the main road connecting the Nam Giang international border gate (Vietnam - Laos border) with National Highway 1A and central seaports. The road surface was already as dilapidated as soy sauce, now it is Voluble with potholes, creating deep holes flooded after rain, full of dangerous fields.
Ms. Alang Tro (La De commune, Da Nang city) choked up: "In just a few days, my children in the highlands will start going to school. The children had to jostle on the road full of trucks, dusty, and densely populated. Every time we see our children go to school, our hearts feel heartbroken and worried.
For hundreds of students from mountainous communes, the journey to school on National Highway 14D is no different from overcoming obstacles. One side is mountains and forests, the other side is a heavy stream of trucks. Accidents can happen at any time just because of a slide or dust covering the eye.
Not only students, but patients who go to the emergency room also have to "pay the price" with time and risk. It takes more than 4 hours from Nam Giang commune to the nearest medical center.
"My family was pregnant and had to take a motorbike through elephant pits and slippery roads, and when we arrived, we were exhausted. With roads like this, everyone is afraid, losing sleep and appetite" - a resident of Nam Giang commune - shared.
According to the Nam Giang Border Gate Customs Branch, in recent years, import-export activities through border gates have increased sharply. Tens of thousands of tons of bauxite ore from Laos are continuously transported through this route to Chan May port (Hue) for export to China.
The pressure of heavy-duty vehicles, combined with slow maintenance, has caused QL14D to rapidly deteriorate. Many overturning accidents and road congestion have occurred for hours, causing congestion in the transportation of goods and great risks to people.
People look forward to the start of the National Highway 14D renovation project every day
People in the mountainous areas of Da Nang compare National Highway 14D to a "bottleneck" that hinders their lives. The rainy and stormy season has arrived, the risk of landslides and congestion has made the situation even more serious. And more than anyone else, thousands of students in mountainous areas preparing for the new school year, along with people who need emergency care and travel every day, are the ones who are suffering the most disadvantages and risks.
After many recommendations, in June 2025, the project "Renovation and upgrading of National Highway 14D" through Da Nang was approved with a total investment of more than VND 4,500 billion. The project has a total length of 74.4km and will be upgraded to meet the standards of a level III - IV road, a level A1 elevated road surface, a solid culvert, and a safe lighting system.
The Prime Minister has also decided to add VND500 billion in central budget capital for Da Nang to implement the project. According to the plan, the project will start construction at the end of November 2025 and be completed in the period of 2025 - 2027.
The leader of the Da Nang People's Committee emphasized that additional capital from the Central Government is an important boost for the locality to soon remove this infrastructure bottleneck. The project not only serves socio-economic development, but also ensures national security and defense, and strengthens strategic borders.
Mr. Bh'riu Po (Ben Giang commune) hopes: "We people just hope the project will be implemented soon, because every day traveling on this road is a risky bet. Carrying agricultural products onto the street was shaken and damaged. Taking my child to school is heartbreaking. If I take the patient to the hospital, I will be busy and afraid of being late.
While waiting for the project to start, what people are hoping for is temporary measures such as patching potholes, maintaining road surfaces, controlling overloaded vehicles... to reduce some of the immediate dangers.
