The size of the rest stop depends on the regional characteristics.

Today (July 19), within the framework of the field survey program and experience exchange in investing in the construction of a rest stop system, the Vietnam Association of Road Traffic Construction Investors (Varsi) coordinated with Deo Ca Group, Department 16 under China Railway Construction Group to organize a workshop on Construction of expressway rest stops in Vietnam, looking from China's experience.

Also attending the workshop were representatives of leaders of a number of Departments and Divisions under the Ministry of Transport, a number of training units and Vietnamese transport enterprises.

Here, the parties discussed and exchanged regulations, practical investment in construction, management and operation of rest stops in Vietnam and China, from which they studied and proposed improvements to the implementation plan of rest stops.

Mr. Le Quynh Mai, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Deo Ca Group, said that the system of legal documents and legal corridors on investment in transport infrastructure in general and investment in rest stops in particular have been reviewed and continued to be completed by competent authorities of Vietnam.

Particularly at the North-South Eastern Expressway project, the rest stop network planning approved by the Ministry of Transport in 2023 includes 36 stations.

To date, 6 stations have been put into operation, 3 stations are under construction, and 27 stations are under investment.

Identifying rest stops as road safety projects that must be implemented simultaneously with highways for synchronous operation, the leader of Deo Ca Group proposed that it is necessary to specify in detail the principles for planning the rest stop system, orienting the design of rest stops according to the principles of environmental harmony, sustainability, creativity and flexibility, towards smart rest stops operated by information technology.

"State management agencies also need to issue appropriate mechanisms to create reserve land for future expansion of rest stops," said Mr. Mai.

Talking with the Chinese rest stop investor, Mr. Le Quoc Dung, Acting Director of Project Management Board 7 (Ministry of Transport) said that the investment in rest stops on expressways in Vietnam has just begun and is being directed by the Ministry of Transport to speed up the implementation progress to meet the needs of the people.

"For that reason, we are very eager to learn and listen to experience sharing from businesses of advanced countries.

In China, I was very impressed with the scale, implementation and operation of the Huyangcheng rest stop. In general, when building rest stops, does China have regulations on maximum/minimum area?", Mr. Dung asked.

Following the leader of Project Management Board 7, the question of whether the location and planning of rest stops should be implemented before the construction of the expressway system or after the project is completed was continued by Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hung, Deputy Head of the Planning and Investment Department (Vietnam Road Administration).

Answering the question raised by the leader of Project Management Board 7, Mr. Tham Kien Cuong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gia Hung Khai Thong Investment Company Limited (Investor of Ho Duong Trung Rest Stop - one of the most modern rest stops in China today) said that previously, the regulations on the construction of rest stops in China had many similarities with Vietnam. The area of ​​each side was regulated at 8,000m2. However, to meet practical needs, the regulations on area have been changed a lot.

"At present, China has 186,000km of expressways. That is the result of 30 years of development. The investment in rest stops also corresponds to that time.

Previously, the Ministry of Transport regulated the location of small-scale rest stops. After reviewing traffic volume, the previously small-scale stations had to be re-planned on a larger scale.

In general, the scale depends on the regional characteristics (commercial or tourist) and traffic volume on the highway.

Planning rest stops also needs to pay attention to two major issues to have specific plans. This is the gateway to a city or locality. At the same time, it is also an important piece in the tourism industry," said Mr. Tham Kien Cuong, adding that it is necessary to soon add the missing rest stops on Vietnam's highways that meet the standards of scale, function, and operational organization.

With the current traffic volume on Vietnam's highways, the planning area for rest stops needs to be expanded instead of just stopping at the maximum of 5 hectares.

How are Chinese rest stops invested?

Previously, the Vietnam Association of Road Traffic Construction Investors, together with representatives of Departments and Divisions under the Ministry of Transport and enterprises: Deo Ca Group, Phuong Trang Passenger Transport Joint Stock Company, 559 Construction and Trade Joint Stock Company; Trung Thanh Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company, conducted a field survey at Ho Duong Trung rest stop.

Yangcheng Lake Rest Stop on the highway in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province was the first destination the delegation visited.

Inaugurated in 2019, this rest stop is known as the most modern in China with a total area of ​​up to 50 hectares.

In addition to having a large parking lot, convenient for vehicles, with a lobby area of ​​up to 36,000m2, Ho Duong Trung rest stop is also a place for passengers to have interesting experiences with food stalls, specialty shops, convenience stores... along the 8m wide, 160m long artificial river. Outside is a spacious sightseeing space.

It is also one of the first rest stops in China to have a car exhibition and sales booth.

According to calculations, the average spending per passenger at lunch at this rest stop is about 65 yuan/person.

To ensure consistency in the operation and investment efficiency of the rest stop, the service business at the booths is also carried out by the rest stop investor himself, not by leasing the premises.

Thanks to its diverse amenities and services, Ho Duong Trung station attracts a large number of tourists and drivers, especially during holidays and Tet, playing an important role in promoting local products, contributing to the economic development of the region.

Mr. Tham Kien Cuong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Khai Thong, said that since entering the highway rest stop business in 1998, the company has been operating 8 pairs of rest stops along 25 highways spanning 40 provinces and cities in China and is continuing to invest in many other rest stop projects.

"Investing in modern rest stops, Khai Thong Company aims for many big goals such as: creating a new playground gathering many domestic and foreign brands, a place to promote and introduce to tourists the unique culture of the locality; Turning rest stops into places to experience commercial forms, both in terms of product business and landscape experience services for passengers.

Khai Thong is also investing in the rest stop to integrate both online and offline. Customers coming here can learn about the products on display and scan the code to order online.

All of the above goals are aimed at giving passengers a sense of closeness, friendliness and comfort.

To do that better, our company has been promoting the application of digital technology in management, collecting data on the age of customers coming to the rest stop, from which we have a basis for analysis, adjusting the business model and appropriate experience," shared the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Khai Thong Company.

Thanking the Chairman of Khai Thong Company for taking the time to introduce the activities at Ho Duong Trung rest stop and the planned rest stop projects in the future, Mr. Ho Minh Hoang, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Deo Ca Group, affirmed that this is not only a valuable experience for investors in transport infrastructure but also for state management agencies under the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam.

"From the actual investment at Ho Duong Trung rest stop, we can see that the planning of the electric vehicle charging station here was carried out after the construction of the rest stop was completed.

From that experience, to meet future needs, in Vietnam, we need to consider proposing that state management agencies soon study the planning of charging stations in rest stops. Along with that, is it necessary to develop regulations on the application of technology, linking and introducing information about rest stops on highways to the information system of transport vehicles...", said the leader of Deo Ca Group.