Vietnam funds upgrade to Cambodian border motorway

Vietnam funds upgrade to Cambodian border motorway


A US$25.8 million upgrade of Highway 78 in Cambodia that crosses the border into Vietnam kicked off in ceremony Sunday, with funds for the venture sourced from the latter’s soft credit loans.
The 70km-long and 9m-wide Highway 78, which runs from Rattanakiri province’s Ban Lung town through Bokeo and Oyada towns in Cambodia to the Vietnamese port of entry at Le Thanh, will be completed in 30 months, with funds from the Vietnamese government's preferential credits.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony held in Rattanakiri, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong said the two countries' cooperation in the upgrade not only affirms the efforts and determination to strengthen bilateral ties by both the Vietnamese and Cambodian governments and people but also reflects traditionally friendly cooperation between the two countries.

As soon as it is completed, the highway will benefit the Cambodian people and the Laos-Vietnam-Cambodia development triangle as it will create an additional East-West corridor connecting Cambodia's Rattanakiri province with the Central Highlands and central seaports in Vietnam, said Trong.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed his thanks to the Vietnamese Government and people for their whole-hearted support for Cambodia in the project.

The upgrade is necessary for Cambodia's northeastern provinces, facilitating the exchange of farm products and other commodities in the region, elaborated Hun Sen.

This is an initial step for Rattanakiri province as well as Cambodia to integrate into the development triangle area, he affirmed.

The Cambodian PM also thanked the Vietnamese government for its help in building a boarding school in Ban Lung town and a market in the center of Oyada town in Rattanakiri province.

In the context of many difficulties, the sharing and assistance of the Vietnamese government and people to the Cambodian government and people re-affirmed the solidarity, friendship and cooperation between the two nations and people, which have been fostered through many historical periods, noted Hun Sen.

Source: VNA