The expressway network of Vietnam is a network of expressways stretching from North to South and from East to West in Vietnam and belongs to the Transport in Vietnam system. The first expressways were opened in the 1998. As of 2024, the entire Vietnam expressway system has been opened to traffic with 2,021 kilometres (1,256mi) and is investing in building about 1,542 kilometres (958mi). It is expected that by the end of 2025 there will be about 3,000 kilometres (1,900mi) of expressway and by 2030 it will reach 5,000 kilometres (3,100mi).[2]
The idea of building an expressway emerged around 2010 when the number of private cars increased rapidly, while many national highways such as National Route 1, National Route 5 , National Highway 51, ... are overloaded. However, the expansion potential of some of these highways (especially those in the North) is limited because people live concentratedly on both sides of the road, so the cost of land clearance is very high, and some highways share corridors with corresponding railway lines. In addition, some national highways in the northern mountainous region cannot be expanded due to terrain. The construction of the expressway system in Vietnam aims to separate cars, non-stop passenger cars and long-distance trucks from the traffic flow of rudimentary vehicles, 2- and 3-wheel vehicles, enabling long-distance vehicles to run faster and safer.
The predecessors of today's expressways were bypasses built parallel to the main roads, outside the densely populated areas of the city. Among them, the old National Route 1 bypasses, Phap Van – Cau Gie road (now Phap Van - Cau Gie expressway), Phap Van – Bac Giang section (now part of Ring Road 3 Hanoi and North–South Expressway East) and National Route 18 Noi Bai – Bac Ninh section (later Noi Bai-Bac Ninh expressway) were all completed in 1998. At that time, these routes were only bypasses of the respective national routes and did not meet expressway standards.[citation needed]
On 3 February 2010, the Ho Chi Minh City–Trung Luong Expressway was completed and put into use, helping to reduce the load on National Route 1, Ho Chi Minh City – My Tho section. This is the first route to be recognized as an expressway in Vietnam.[citation needed]
In 2019, the Ministry of Transport decided to exclude foreign investors from bidding on the North-South expressway, mainly to prevent Chinese companies from participating. Public backslash – due to strong anti-Chinese sentiment in the country – was feared if Chinese companies would collect toll fees, as well national security concerns playing a role in this decision.[3][4] However, lack of bidders has led to low competition between the bids,[5] and two out of five sections had not attracted any bids.[6]
On 9 January 2021, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 1454/QD-TTg approving the Road Network Development Plan for the 2021–2030 period, with a vision to 2050. The decision was signed by Deputy Prime Minister Lê Văn Thành on behalf of the Prime Minister. Accordingly, the number of expressways was increased to 41 with a total length of more than 9,000 kilometres (5,592mi).
In a 2023 directive, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính instructed the Ministry of Transport to develop expressway design standards, as some of the expressways did not adhere to standards generally followed for expressways such as number of lanes, road width, operating speed and having continuous emergency lanes.[8]
On 3 January 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà signed Decision No. 12/QD-TTg approving the adjustment of the Road Network Planning for the period 2021 – 2030, with a vision to 2050. Accordingly, the Decision added two new routes: Quang Ngai-Kon Tum Expressway and Ca Mau-Dat Mui Expressway . Increase the total number of expressways to 43 with a total length of more than 9,200 kilometres (5,717mi)[9]
Standardization of expressways is not yet fully implemented. Ownership varies depending on the expressway, they are financed, developed, owned and operated by public or private companies on behalf of the state.[10] For example, state-owned Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) owns and operates four expressways,[11] but toll collection is done by subcontracted companies. The companies operating the expressways have to report traffic numbers and toll revenue to the Ministry of Transport and the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam.[12] This construction has been subject of fraud investigations several times, as toll revenue was falsified by the collecting companies to take advantage of the difference.[13] The government has also threatened operating companies to revoke their toll collection licence after lack of maintenance caused dangerous situations on several expressways.[14] In 2019 it was reported that the Vietnam Expressway Corporation was US$3.7billion in debt, and earning $137million in revenue each year.[15]
Standard
Expressway
Expressway reassurance marker with minimum and maximum speed limits (IE.452)
On 31 March 2024, the Ministry of Transport issued Circular No. 06/TT-BGTVT (National Technical Regulation on Expressway QCVN 115:2024/BGTVT) and effective from 1 October 2024.[16] Accordingly, the design speed of the expressway is divided into 3 speed levels as follows:
120 kilometres per hour (75mph)
100 kilometres per hour (62mph)
80 kilometres per hour (50mph). For places with especially difficult terrain, related to national defense and security factors, a design speed of 60 kilometres per hour (37mph) is allowed.
Expressways invested after the effective date must have a minimum scale of 4 lanes, with continuous emergency lanes along the entire route (except for the following locations: bridges with spans of 150m or more, tunnels and bridges with piers 50m or more high, with acceleration and deceleration lanes and auxiliary climbing lanes).
The sign is designed on a rectangle with a yellow background, black border and the route number is displayed after the letters "CT". Signs are often placed in many different locations. Signs are placed at intersections between expressways and other roads. Second, they are displayed on signs located at intersections with other major roads and highways so that road users can know which way to go and follow the chosen route. Third, they can be displayed on large green signs indicating upcoming intersections on highways, and also on large green signs indicating when a highway has been entered or exited.
Tan Thanh–Phúc Sen section under construction; Phúc Sen–Trà Lĩnh to begin construction after phase one is complete. Will connect to China's G69 by Tra Linh Border Gate.
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