Vietnam has unveiled a wishlist of 17 strategic infrastructure projects totaling around 68 billion U.S. dollars that it wants to complete by 2020 by drawing official development assistance (ODA) and foreign direct investment (FDI).

The wishlist covers projects on building and upgrading international airports, seaports, a north-south highway, and a north-south express railway, local newspaper Vietnam Investment Reviews reported Monday.

For the first time in Vietnam, FDI will be used to develop the Long Thanh international airport in southern Dong Nai province, and the Duong To-Phu Quoc airport in southern Kien Giang province. The second terminals at the Noi Bai international airport in capital Hanoi and the Da Nang international airport in central Da Nang city are also on the wish-list.

Long Thanh airport, to be developed into Vietnam's biggest international airport at an estimated cost of 2 billion dollars, will be able to handle Airbus A380, and receive 100 million passengers and 5 million tons of cargoes each year. The Duong To- Phu Quoc airport, to be built at a cost of 156 million dollars between 2008 and 2012, will be capable of annually serving 2 million passengers.

Two important seaports on the wishlist are Lach Huyen in northern Hai Phong city and Van Phong in central Khanh Hoa province. The state-run Vietnam National Shipping Lines has been appointed as the major investor in both projects.

About 44 billion dollars in ODA packages will be needed to develop rail projects such as the north-south express railway, and some routes in the northern and southern regions, said the report.

Source: Xinhua