Eight build-operate-transfer (BOT) transport projects with totalinvestment capital of 22 trillion VND (1 billion USD) are expected tocommence in the second quarter of 2015, according to the Ministry ofTransport.

The Dau Giay-Phan Thiet Expressway project is a pilotunder the Private-Public Partnership (PPP) form with total estimatedinvestment capital of around 750 million USD. Once completed, thefour-lane 98.7-km expressway will link the southern province of Dong Naito the coastal city of Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan province.

In a bidto attract investment to expressway projects along National Highway No1, the ministry has requested the addition of sections such as PhanThiet to Nha Trang.

The scale of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau projectwas adjusted and divided into two sub-projects, of which the BienHoa-Phu My sub-project will be implemented under the BOT model withtotal investment capital of over 7.6 trillion VND (362 million USD).

TheNha Trang (Khanh Hoa)-Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan) section of theNorth-South highway project has a total length of 235 km with four lanesand designed velocity of 80-100 km per hour. It will be funded throughthe public sector, the State’s budget and the official developmentassistance (ODA).

Nguyen Danh Duy, Head of the Management Boardof PPP Projects under the Ministry of Transport, said the ministry isguiding the implementation of 50 BOT projects, including 37 in landtransport, six in aviation, three in waterway transport, three inrailway and one in maritime navigation.

The management board isworking on a report on PPP projects with the planned addition of moreprojects, including a road connecting Noi Bai- Lao Cai highway with SaPa resort town.-VNA