At 321 km, the planned Ring Road 5 would stretch nearly three times the length of Ring Road 4, the belt now under construction around Hanoi and due in 2027, and cost more than three times as much.
The route would begin and end at Yen Bai Commune on Hanoi's western edge, passing through seven provinces and cities: Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Hung Yen, Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen and Phu Tho.
The regionis home to about 31 million people, roughly 27% of Vietnam's population, and generates close to a third of national GDP, according to the project's submission.
The ministry sent the pre-feasibility study to the prime minister after nearly a year of survey work. Its estimate comes in about VND26 trillion ($990 million) below an earlier version.
The road would carry six lanes for most of its length, narrowing to four through Thai Nguyen. Localities would reserve a corridor at least 120 meters wide, enough for about 10 lanes, for service roads, greenery and sidewalks.
