Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The told the meeting that the Mekong delta region has major national highways, waterways, railways, four airports and ports, but efforts are needed to upgrade infrastructure and speed up the construction of the Trung Luong-My Thuan highway and North-South highway  to the west.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at  a meting between ministers and  leaders of Mekong delta provinces on regional development on April 5, 2019, in Can Tho city.  (Photo: VGP)

Prime Minister Phuc urged the Ministry of Transport to complete construction of the Trung Luong-My Thuan highway by late 2020 and begin construction of the Can Tho-Ca Mau highway. He added: “The region cannot develop without transport. This is the legitimate aspiration of more than  20 million people in the southwestern region.”

The PM said there will be a conference on connectivity between the southern region and Ho Chi Minh City in the near future.