Vantai24h – Date 12/28/2015 – National highway 7 or 7A is the key traffic route running entirely in Nghe An Province. Transporting goods to districts and towns of western Nghe An will start from National Route 1A to get into Highway 7.
Highway 7 is the vital traffic route for the economic development and cultural exchange between towns and communes in the west of Nghe An Province. It also plays an special role in strengthening the friendship with Laos through the border gate of Nam Can. The starting point of this Highway is in Dien Chau Town, Dien Chau District and the finishing point is Nam Can Border Gate (the border between Vietnam and Laos is located in Nam Can Commune, Ky Son District). The highway runs through the following districts: Yen Thanh, Do Luong, Anh Son, Con Cuong, Tuong Duong, Ky Duong, Ky Son. Highway 7 intersects with National Route 1A, 15, 46, 534, provincial route 538 and Ho Chi Minh Road. This is also the national traffic route, connecting Vietnam with Laos. This route in Laos is also called national highway 7.
In the past, the section of Do Luong – Nam Can was 192 km long and ran along Ca River, then passed through Bactelemi Pass with 10-12% slope. The road there was very narrow, making it very difficult for vehicles to find a place to move. There were often landslides in the rainy season. However, the government has recently broaden the surface road and constructed more bridges so the route from Do Luong District to Ho Chi Minh Road now is quite modern and large and the section of Dien Chau – Do Luong becomes smoother and very convenient for drivers.
According to Tang Hoai Duc - a driver of Transport 24h Co.Ltd who specializes in goods transportation from Hanoi to Nghe An, there are 2 ways to go from the capital city and northern provinces to the Central of Vietnam. The first one is to use National Route 1 or Ho Chi Minh Road. After the recent upgrade and repair of the section from Thanh Hoa City to Vinh City in 1/2015, the safety level of travelling on this route has increased significantly. Besides, if following Ho Chi Minh Road, it will take more time due to there are more dangerous mountains and curved roads. In general, the driving distance between Hanoi and Vinh is 290 km if using National Route 1 and about 330 km for Ho Chi Minh Road. The high quality road of Ho Chi Minh Route and the low density of traffic vehicles enable drivers to run with the average speed of 65km/h. When going on this route, despite the longer distance, the driving time is the same as using Route 1 with about 6 hours.
There are usually landslides occurring on Highway 7 route in rainy seasons so drivers need to catch up with weather forecast news to prepare for the journey, making it safe for goods delivery and bringing highly economic benefits to firms and laborers.
