Construction stalled on tallest bridge in Vietnam
Thursday, May 30, 2024, 13:46 GMT+7
Construction of the Phuoc Khanh Bridge, which will connect Ho Chi Minh City’s outlying Can Gio District and neighboring Nhon Trach District in Dong Nai Province, has been suspended due to issues with the contractor.
The bridge is slated to span 3.1 kilometers and boast a vertical clearance of 55 meters, making it the tallest bridge in Vietnam, together with the Binh Khanh Bridge, which will link Nha Be and Can Gio Districts in Ho Chi Minh City.
The two bridges are part of the Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway project, which passes through Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring Long An and Dong Nai Provinces.
Work on other parts of the expressway project has been accelerated to ensure it meets the September 2025 deadline.
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| The road leading to the construction site of the Phuoc Khanh Bridge project. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre |
A consortium of Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui and Vietnam’s Cienco 4 Group JSC earlier took charge as the contractor.
However, the project was suspended in 2022 due to policy bottlenecks.
Vietnam Expressway Corporation, the investor, announced the termination of a contract with the contractor.
At the time, the bridge project was 80.7 percent.
As the project utilizes official development assistance loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the investor had to comply with the requirements outlined in an agreement between the governments of Vietnam and Japan, including the stipulation that the main contractor must be a Japanese firm.
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| In 2022, Vietnam Expressway Corporation, the investor, announced that it would terminate a contract with the contractor of the Phuoc Khanh Bridge project. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre |
On December 20, 2023, the investor issued bidding documents to seek another Japanese contractor through an international tender, but no Japanese contractors were interested in taking on the project.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Transport asked the Ministry of Finance to work with JICA to ease the requirement so that Vietnamese contractors could join the tender.
The Ministry of Finance later sent a diplomatic note to the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, while the Ministry of Transport also wrote to the embassy and JICA, proposing adjustments to the requirement.
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| On December 20, 2023, the investor issued bidding documents to seek a new Japanese contractor through an international tender. Photo: Duc Phu / Tuoi Tre |
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| No Japanese contractors showed interest in the project. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre |
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| Under an agreement between the governments of Vietnam and Japan, the main contractor must be a Japanese entity. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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The Vietnamese Ministry of Transport has asked the Ministry of Finance to work with JICA to ease the requirement so that Vietnamese contractors can join the tender. Photo: Duc Phu / Tuoi Tre |
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| The Ministry of Finance later sent a diplomatic note to the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, while the Ministry of Transport also wrote to the embassy and JICA, proposing adjustments to the ODA requirements. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre |
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| It will take 17 months to complete the incomplete workload of the Phuoc Khanh Bridge package. Therefore, it is urgent to choose another contractor. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| The main entrance to the construction site of the Phuoc Khanh Bridge package has been temporarily blocked. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| Building materials for the construction of Phuoc Khanh Bridge have become rusty. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre |
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