Vietnam plans service stations along Ho Chi Minh Rd.

Vietnam announced plans to build 124 filling stations along Ho Chi Minh Road in the first phase, aiming to facilitate smooth travel on the country’s longest road. According to the Planning and Investment Department, the layout of the filling stations will match the design and structure of the road. These facilities will be built from Hoa Lac Cross (Ha Tay Province) to Binh Phuoc Crossroad (Ho Chi Minh City). However, no details for the construction of new stations for the second phase (extending the National Road from Hoa Lac to Lang Son Province) and third phase (extending the road from Binh Phuoc to Ca Mau Province) were made available. According to the Ministry of Trade, Vietnam now has more than 8,000 petrol stations. (March 16, 2007)