Vietnam Plans Pilot Auctions and Tenders for Toll Collection Rights on North–South Expressway Sections
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Văn Thắng said on November 12 that Vietnam plans to pilot auctions and tenders for toll collection rights on some projects, particularly sections of the North–South Expressway. He also discussed support for public–private partnership projects, the use of official development assistance and progress on public investment disbursement in 2026.
Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Văn Thắng said at a National Assembly question-and-answer session on financial matters on November 12 that Vietnam plans to pilot auctions and tenders for toll collection rights on some projects, particularly sections of the North–South Expressway. The Ministry of Construction is advancing an operation and management contract model under which the state builds a project and then transfers it to a business to operate and collect tolls.
Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Văn Thắng.（VietVance）
Nguyễn Văn Thắng said Vietnam has adopted both a model in which businesses build projects and collect tolls to recover their investment, and one in which the state builds projects before transferring them to businesses to operate. The first model is currently more common. Toll collection periods for public–private partnership projects are typically about 20 years, while bank loans to businesses usually run for 10 to 12 years. Under current rules, the state can support about 50% of a project’s total investment, rising to 70% in special cases.
He said businesses operating completed projects can avoid construction-stage risks such as land acquisition, construction work and fluctuations in material prices. Regarding revenue risks during operation, he said the law on public–private partnership investment provides for cases of low revenue, and the state can buy back a project in special circumstances.
Discussing official development assistance, Nguyễn Văn Thắng said Vietnam can no longer obtain low-interest preferential loans as it did in the past. It must assess financing costs, loan conditions and project effectiveness more carefully when using such funds. The government is strengthening its assessment of projects’ economic effectiveness and plans to prioritize a small number of large projects for funding.
Nguyễn Văn Thắng also said the government is working to disburse all funds under its 2026 public investment plan. The disbursement rate was about 74% in the first 10 months of 2026. According to the estimate he cited, full-year disbursement could contribute an additional roughly 1.7% to economic growth. He described this as one factor supporting the goal of achieving GDP growth of at least 10% in 2026.
Source: VietVance
