Vietnam’s Can Tho secures Japanese ODA loan to expand National Highway 61C

The project covers the section from Can Tho City to the former Hau Giang Province.

On July 1, Can Tho City absorbed neighboring Hau Giang and Soc Trang Provinces as part of a major administrative restructuring that reduced the number of provinces and cities in Vietnam from 63 to 34.

On Thursday afternoon, leaders of the Can Tho People's Committee held a meeting with a delegation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to discuss several projects in the city.

The upgrade and expansion of National Highway 61C will cover more than 37 kilometers, starting in Nhon Ai Commune and ending in Hoa Luu Commune, Can Tho City. 

After the expansion, the road will have four lanes for motor vehicles and two lanes for non-motorized vehicles. Construction is scheduled to take place from 2025 to 2030.

The total investment for the project is estimated at VND5.179 trillion, or about US$196.3 million. 

Of that amount, JICA's ODA loan will account for VND3.556 trillion, or roughly $134.7 million, with the remainder coming from local counterpart funding.

Meanwhile, the Mekong Delta regional transport development project to adapt to climate change includes two components. 

The first involves upgrading and expanding a 10.2-kilometer section of National Highway 61C that passes through the former Can Tho City. 

The second component consists of constructing a 25.5-kilometer road connecting O Mon District and Thoi Lai District in the former Can Tho City to Giong Rieng District in the former Kien Giang Province. 

This new road will also have four motor vehicle lanes and two non-motorized vehicle lanes.

The entire transport development project requires a total investment of more than VND8.7 trillion ($330 million), with JICA's ODA loan covering more than VND5.7 trillion ($216.1 million).

Like the National Highway 61C upgrade, this project is also scheduled for implementation from 2025 to 2030.

At the meeting, Vuong Quoc Nam, vice-chairman of the Can Tho People's Committee, said that besides improving the road and interprovincial transportation network in the Mekong Delta region, these projects align with regional and city planning efforts.

He said the initiative would support climate change adaptation and regional development. 

With a complete transportation network, Can Tho City aims to become an economic and financial center that drives growth in the Mekong Delta.