Decision 1454/QD-TTg 2021 on the master plan on the road network for the 2021-2030 period

DECISION

Approving the Master Plan on the road network
for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050^[1]

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the June 19, 2015 Law on Organization of the Government; and the November 22, 2019 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Organization of the Government and the Law on Organization of Local Administration;

Pursuant to the November 24, 2017 Planning Law;

Pursuant to the November 20, 2018 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of Thirty-Seven Laws Concerning Planning;

Pursuant to the November 13, 2008 Law on Road Traffic;

Pursuant to Resolution No. 751/2019/UBTVQH14 of August 16, 2019, of the National Assembly Standing Committee, on interpretation of a number of articles of the Planning Law;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 37/2019/ND-CP of May 7, 2019, detailing a number of articles of the Planning Law;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 45/QD-TTg of January 10, 2020, approving the task of formulation of the master plan on the road network for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050;

At the proposal of the Minister of Transport and considering Appraisal Report No. 60/BC-HDTDQH of June 28, 2021, of the Appraisal Council for the Master Plan on the road network for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the Master Plan on the road network for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050 (below referred to as the Master Plan), with the following principal contents:

I. VIEWPOINTS AND OBJECTIVES

1. Viewpoints

- Road infrastructure plays an important role in the socio-economic infrastructure system and is regarded as one of the three strategic breakthroughs that need prioritized investment to become synchronous and modern and create prerequisites for socio-economic development associated with maintenance of national defense and security, assurance of social welfare, adaptation to climate change, and sustainable development.

- To gradually develop road infrastructure facilities into complete, modern and safe ones which are capable of effectively synchronizing transport modes and linking the national road system with local road systems; ensuring connection among regions, localities and transport hubs and with international transport routes; bringing into full play its advantage as a flexible and efficient transport mode, especially for short and medium distances, helping rally and release cargoes and passengers for other transport modes. 

- The road infrastructure system shall be planned in a balanced, harmonious and rational manner in terms of regional and local geography, population, economic scale and development demand as well as investment efficiency; must be conformable to relevant master plans and planning orientations in order to ensure long-term visions; and can help create new urban spaces for local economic development and efficient exploitation of land resources.

- To mobilize all resources for development of the road infrastructure system, particularly expressways; to intensify investment in the form of public-private partnership, with state capital regarded as support for mobilizing to the utmost resources from other economic sectors; to institutionalize the solutions of delegating and decentralizing powers to localities to mobilize resources and organize implementation.  

- To take the initiative in approaching, and step up the application of, modern sciences and technologies, particularly achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in construction, management and natural resource exploitation in order to mitigate environmental pollution and conserve energy and efficiently use other natural resources. 

2. Objectives

a/ Objectives by 2030

To gradually develop the road network into a complete one with a number of modern and high-quality facilities to meet the demand for socio-economic development and assurance of national defense and security, help improve the national economy’s competitiveness, restrain and eventually reduce traffic accidents and mitigate environmental pollution, and form a rational transport system with harmonized transport modes, thus turning Vietnam basically into a developing country with a modern industry and upper-middle income, with the following specific targets:  

- Regarding transportation, the volume of transported cargoes will reach around 2,764 million tons (62.8% of total market share); the number of transported passengers will reach around 9,430 million (90.16% of total market share); the volume of domestic freight traffic will reach around 162.7 billion tons.km (30.48% of total market share); and the number of domestically transported passengers will reach around 283.6 billion passengers.km (72,83% of total market share).

- Regarding infrastructure, to form a system of expressways connecting economic and political centers, key economic regions, and international gateway seaports and airports; to gradually upgrade national highways, specifically as follows:

+ To basically complete expressways connecting regions and international gateway seaports, international airports, major international border gates through which large volumes of goods are imported or exported, and special-grade and grade-I urban centers; conveniently connecting national highways to grade-II seaports, international airports, major inland waterway ports, railway hub-stations and transport hubs in urban centers of grade II or lower grades; to strive to completely construct around 5,000 km of expressways.

+ To concentrate efforts on upgrading road surfaces, reinforcing roadsafety sign systems, eliminating traffic “black spots”, renovating and upgrading weak bridges on national highways, and upgrading a number of important national highway routes connecting to major transport hubs (seaports, inland waterway ports, airports and railway stations) where there are no expressways.

b/ Orientations toward 2050

To complete the synchronous and modern road network nationwide to ensure harmonious connection between and reasonable development of various transport modes; to raise the quality of transport services, ensuring convenience, safety and reasonable costs.

II. PLANNING OF THE ROAD NETWORK

1. The expressway system

The expressway network shall be planned into 41 routes of a total length of some 9,014km, specifically as follows:

a/ The north-south axis will consist of:

- The eastern north-south expressway route from Huu Nghi border gate in Cao Loc district, Lang Son province, to Cau Mau city, Ca Mau province, of a total length of around 2,063km, and with between 4 lanes and 10 lanes (details are provided in Appendix I, Section 1).

- The western north-south expressway route from Tuyen Quang city, Tuyen Quang province, to Rach Gia city, Kien Giang province, of total length of some 1,205km, and with between 4 lanes and 6 lanes (details are provided in Appendix I, Section 2).

b/ The northern region will have 14 routes of a total length of some 2,305km, and with between 4 lanes and 6 lanes (details are provided in Appendix I, Section 3).

c/ The Central Vietnam and Central Highlands region will have 10 routes of a total length of some 1,431km, and with between 4 lanes and 6 lanes (details are provided in Appendix I, Section 4).

d/ The southern region will have 10 routes of a total length of some 1,290km, and with between 4 lanes and 10 lanes (details are provided in Appendix I, Section 5).

dd/ Urban ring roads of Hanoi capital and Ho Chi Minh City:

- Hanoi capital will have 3 ring road routes of a total length of around 429km (excluding sections overlapping other expressways), and with 6 lanes (details are provided in Appendix I, Section 6).

- Ho Chi Minh City will have 2 ring road routes of a total length of around 291km, and with 8 lanes (details are provided in Appendix I, Section 7).

2. The national highway system

The national highway network will consist of 172 routes of a total length of around 29,795km, specifically as follows:

a/ The north-south axis

- National highway 1: From Huu Nghi border gate in Cao Loc district, Lang Son province, to Nam Can district, Ca Mau province, of grade III and a total length of around 2,482km, and with 4 lanes.

- Ho Chi Minh road: From Pac Bo, Ha Quang district, Cao Bang province, to Đat Mui, Ngọc Hien district, Ca Mau province, of grade III or higher grade and a total length of around 1,762km, and with between 2 lanes and 4 lanes (details are provided in Appendix II, Section 1).

b/ In the northern region

- The main national highway system consisting of 21 routes, of grade III or higher grade and a total length of around 6,954km, with between 2 lanes and 6 lanes, and with a number of sections running through areas with difficult-to-access terrains, of grade IV or higher grade, and with 2 lanes (details are provided in Appendix II, Section 2).

- The secondary national highway system consisting of 34 routes, of grade III or higher grade and a total length of around 4,007km, with between 2 lanes and 4 lanes, and with a number of sections running through areas with difficult-to-access terrains, of grade IV or higher grade, and with 2 lanes (details are provided in Appendix II, Section 3).

- National highway sections running through Hanoi capital from ring road 4 southward shall be managed and maintained according to the Law on the Capital.

c/ In the Central Vietnam and Central Highlands region

- The main national highway system consisting of 24 routes, of grade III or higher grade and a total length of around 4,407km, with between 2 lanes and 4 lanes, and with a number of sections running through areas with difficult-to-access terrains, of grade IV or higher grade, and with 2 lanes (details are provided in Appendix II, Section 4).

- The secondary national highway system consisting of 47 routes, of grade III or higher grade and a total length of around 4,618km, with between 2 lanes and 4 lanes, and with a number of sections running through areas with difficult-to-access terrains, of grade IV or higher grade, and with 2 lanes (details are provided in Appendix II, Section 5).

d/ In the southern region

- The main national highway system consisting of 17 routes, of grade III or higher grade and a total length of around 2,426km, with between 2 lanes and 4 lanes, and with a number of sections designed for large traffic flows, of grade III or higher grade, and with between 4 lanes and 6 lanes (details are provided in Appendix II, Section 6).

- The secondary national highway system consisting of 27 routes, of grade III or higher grade and a total length of around 3,139km, with between 2 lanes and 4 lanes (details are provided in Appendix II, Section 7).

- National highway sections running through Ho Chi Minh City shall be managed and maintained by the local administration.

dd/ A number of national highway routes not satisfying the criteria set out by the Law on Road Traffic and national highway sections running through urban centers where bypass sections have been built shall be converted into local roads. The Ministry of Transport shall review and hand over these roads to local administrations for management.

III. INVESTMENT ORIENTATIONS

1. Planned scale means a scale calculated based on forecast demands. In the course of implementation of investment projects, depending on transport demands and investment resources, authorities competent to decide on investment policy shall decide on investment phasing to ensure efficiency of the projects.

2. Regarding investment projects planned for the period after 2030, in case localities have demands for investment in socio-economic development and are able to mobilize resources, they may report such to the Prime Minister for approval of earlier investment.

3. For road sections running through areas under provincial-level master plans which are larger than those specified in the Master Plan, in order to ensure consistency of such master plans, central budget funds shall be allocated for investment in building the sections specified in the Master Plan while local budget funds shall be allocated for investment in building expanded parts under local master plans. 

4. Local roads planned to be upgraded into national highways under this Decision may be upgraded only after they are invested to have scales up to technical standards as planned and be of grade IV or higher grade with 2 lanes. 

5. In the course of implementation of the Master Plan, depending on transport demands and resources, investment shall be considered for building a number of bypass sections running through urban centers and avoiding dangerous and unsafe mountain-pass and slope sections and locations where existing roads cannot be expanded. For ring roads of Hanoi capital and Ho Chi Minh City and expressway sections running through urban centers, depending on urban development requirements, plans on building of viaducts and flyovers or normal roads shall be considered and decided. 

IV. ORIENTATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL ROAD SYSTEMS

1. Master plans on local roads must conform to plans on development of traffic networks under provincial-level master plans specified at Point d, Clause 2, Article 27 of the Planning Law.

2. Urban road systems shall be developed in conformity with master plans on development of urban space and architecture, ensuring their uniformity and completeness and their connection with regional and national transport networks. The proportion of land areas for building urban road infrastructure facilities is expected to reach an average of 16-26% of land areas for urban construction.

3. The rural transport infrastructure network shall be improved, with all district and commune roads satisfying requirements of relevant technical grades, to meet transport demands of rural areas.

4. The total length of coastal roads of grade III or IV or higher grade will be 3,034km, with their sections not overlapping national highways or expressways included in provincial-level master plans. Coastal road sections overlapping national highways must be up to national highway standards, while other sections must be included in provincial-level master plans (details are provided in Appendix III).

5. To ensure completeness, road sections that are local roads or special-use roads connecting the national road system with transport hubs (border gates, seaports, inland waterway ports, railway stations, airports, etc.) shall be planned. The specific scale and directions of these sections shall be decided in provincial-level master plans and regarded as projects prioritized for investment (details are provided in Appendix IV).  

6. Project owners of economic zones, residential areas, urban centers and works where traffic and transport flow is heavy shall build frontage roads to be connected to expressways and national highways at certain points. Connection points to the national highway system shall be approved by state management agencies in charge of roads before being built.

V. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND LAND USE DEMAND

1. Environmental protection

- To carry out assessment of environmental impacts of projects in the course of implementation of the Master Plan; to incorporate and integrate the factors of climate change, sea level rise and efficient use of national resources in the implementation of projects; to supervise the observance of regulations on environmental protection for projects on building and operation of transport works, and prioritize the application of environment-friendly new technologies to minimize adverse environmental impacts.   

- To build a modern mass transit system in combination with efficient use of fuels in transport activities, particularly urban transport, in order to mitigate pollution. Means of transport must be subject to technical and quality regulations with environmental protection requirements.

- To reduce polluting transport activities. To respect and protect landscapes, historical relics and cultural heritages.

2. Land use demand: The land area for the planned road network will be 201,630 hectares, including 84,752 hectares of currently occupied land areas and some 116,878 hectares of to-be-occupied land areas.

VI. INVESTMENT CAPITAL DEMAND

The total capital amount needed for the road network up to 2030 is estimated at around VND 900 trillion, which will be mobilized from the state budget, sources other than state budget funds and other lawful sources.

VII. PROJECTS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE AND PROJECTS PRIORITIZED FOR INVESTMENT FOR THE 2021-2030 PERIOD

1. The eastern north-south expressway from Lang Son province to Ca Mau province; inter-regional expressways in the North, and expressways connecting the Central Vietnam with the Central Highlands, the Southeastern region and the Mekong River delta.

2. Ring expressways and expressways connecting Hanoi capital with Ho Chi Minh City.

3. Main national highways for international or interregional connection.

VIII. SOLUTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MASTER PLAN

1. Mechanism and policy solutions

- To review, revise and improve the legal framework, propose pilot application of a number of special mechanisms and policies to mobilize all resources and speed up the progress of investment in road infrastructure facilities; to evaluate and multiply successful models of attraction of investment in the form of public-private partnership at the central and local levels.

- To formulate a mechanism for enhanced delegation of powers in investment activities and management of the transport infrastructure system in the direction of empowering local administrations to decide on investment in road infrastructure.

- To revise regulations on financial support, tax, price, charge and fee mechanisms and policies conformable to the market mechanism in order to increase commercialization of road infrastructure projects.

2. Human resource development solutions

- To develop high-quality human resources; to closely combine human resource development with science and technology development and application.

- To implement programs on training of human resources for digital transformation, application and development of new technologies, with priority given to digital technology, in the road infrastructure management and investment and public service management.

3. Environmental, scientific and technological solutions

- To develop road transport in a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly manner. To research and apply advanced sciences and technologies and new materials in the management, construction and maintenance of road facilities and in the transport sector as suitable to natural geographical conditions, thereby facilitating response to negative environmental changes in different regions nationwide.

- To formulate and improve standards, regulations, unit prices and norms in the fields of survey, engineering, construction, pre-acceptance testing, maintenance and materials up to international standards and suitable to practical conditions of Vietnam.

- To improve the database on road infrastructure systems; to develop and use software to help formulate plans on investment in and maintenance of road transport facilities.

- To intensify the application of information technology in road management, administration and operation and electronic toll collection nationwide.

4. Association and development cooperation solutions

- To effectively implement programs on cooperation with localities in the management of road traffic safety corridors and implementation of investment activities.

- To intensify association and cooperation with the regional countries and countries with developed road systems in transfer of management technologies and in construction investment activities.

- To encourage and create favorable conditions for enterprises to enter into joint ventures and associations with domestic and foreign partners in order to mobilize capital, transfer technologies and exchange management experience.

5. Education and public communication solutions

- To enter into training associations with organizations and countries with developed road systems; to provide domestic training combined with overseas training in new technologies and materials; to combine on-the-job training with training at schools and institutes; to combine training by enterprises with training by education institutions.

- To carry out public communication about the Party’s viewpoints and guidelines and the State’s policies and laws on mobilization of resources for development of the road infrastructure system. 

6. International cooperation solutions

- To promote international cooperation, especially with countries experienced in mobilizing resources and managing the road transport system. To further revise legal regulations, institutions and policies to make them conformable with regulations of the World Trade Organization and other international cooperation organizations to which Vietnam is a contracting party, with a view to enhancing international integration.

- To ensure close coordination between central and local authorities in stepping up the implementation of projects on connection of road transport infrastructure between Vietnam and such countries as Laos, Cambodia and China within the framework of ASEAN and GMS. To step up the implementation of concluded agreements on road transport; to revise concluded agreements in order to enhance cross-border road transport connection and convenience.   

7. Investment capital mobilization and allocation solutions

- To call for all resources for investment in transport infrastructure at an annual average of 3.5-4.5% of GDP. To prioritize the allocation of state budget funds as “luring” funds for investment projects in the form of public-private partnership and for investment in projects for which it is impossible to raise funds other than state budget funds and projects in difficulty-hit areas. To further attract and efficiently use ODA loans and concessional loans from international donors.

- To give priority to enterprises investing in road infrastructure to enable them to invest in and commercially provide services related to the scope of their projects and to get long-term loans with low interest rates.

- To intensify the promotion of investment in the form of public-private partnership; to adequately and promptly provide information on the list of public-private partnership projects on the Vietnam National E-Procurement System; to simplify procedures for investment in public-private partnership projects.

- To efficiently utilize resources from infrastructure assets invested with state budget funds in the form of franchising; local administrations shall study and implement the mechanism for collection of levies for use of land areas along roads for investment in road infrastructure development.

- To mobilize and allocate funds for focused and selective investment in dynamic facilities with spillover effects and capable of harmonizing transport modes and ensuring balance between regions.

8. Solutions for organizing and supervising implementation of the Master Plan

- To organize the announcement of the Master Plan in different forms, thereby creating consensus and unanimity among political organizations, enterprises, investors and the public when organizing the implementation of the Master Plan.

- To ensure synchronous and close coordination in the course of implementation of the Master Plan between central and local authorities, ensuring that local master plans are in line with orientations of the Master Plan; to ensure coordination between ministries and sectors in solving interdisciplinary matters so as to ensure uniformity, completeness and efficiency of the Master Plan.

- To enhance inspection and supervision of the management and implementation of the Master Plan in order to ensure that it will be implemented in accordance with regulations; to promote the role of the people, enterprises, and socio-political organizations in supervising the implementation of the Master Plan. To strictly handle violations of the planning law.

Article 2. Organization of implementation

1. The Ministry of Transport shall:

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with other ministries, sectors and provincial-level People’s Committees in, managing and organizing the implementation of the Master Plan; to periodically evaluate the implementation of the Master Plan, revise, adjust and announce the Master Plan under regulations.

- Provide relevant data for updating to the national information system and database on planning.

- Organize the formulation of plans and advise or recommend necessary solutions to implement the Master Plan in a synchronous and effective manner.

- Organize the formulation and approval of specialized master plans on roads of technical specifications through 2030.

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning and Investment in allocating annual budget funds for the implementation of road development master plans; and assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance in, handing over national highway sections to local administrations for management.

2. Ministries and sectors shall, within the ambit of their functions, tasks and powers, coordinate with the Ministry of Transport and provincial-level People’s Committees in allocating resources and proposing mechanisms and policies to achieve targets set forth in the Master Plan, ensuring uniformity and consistency with implementation of the 2021-2030 ten-year socio-economic development strategy and socio-economic development plans of sectors and localities.  

3. Provincial-level People’s Committees shall:

- People’s Committees at all level shall, within the ambit of their tasks and powers, organize the state management of road transport under relevant regulations in their respective localities; and strictly manage land areas for the implementation of the Master Plan.

- Review, revise or formulate local master plans and projects in line with the Master Plan; update contents of their provincial-level master plans in line with orientations for local transport development under the Master Plan.

- Mobilize resources for investment in provincial road systems, prioritizing local roads planned to be upgraded into national highways, up to the scale standards before they are handed over to the Ministry of Transport for management.

- Assume the prime responsibility for receiving and managing national highway sections not up to standards and those running through urban centers where bypass roads have been built.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

Article 4. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall implement this Decision.-

For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
LE VAN THANH

* The appendices to this Decision are not translated.