The longest tunnel in South East Asia is completed.
Tradition of technology to Vietnam
including technology transfer is completed as well.

(Draft by Mr. Kuroda Masashi, Head of Haivan Tunnel Operation Office,
International Business Generalization Branch [04/2005])

- The longest tunnel in South East Asia

Image picture of ventilation equipment Click to larger image	Project location (Vietnam) Click to larger image	Project location (Project site) Click to larger image

Completion of main tunnel

It is a well known fact that the existing mountain paved road over the Hai Van Pass (difference in elevation: 475 m, Length: about 22 Km) is a series of steep gradient and hair pin curves due to its topography and is a bottle neck in constructing the South and North Traverse Expressway. As such, the Hai Van Tunnel Construction Project is planned and implemented to expect the economic repercussion effect produced by an upgrading function of the road as an artery of physical distribution as well as for the purpose of securing safe transport road. One of the characteristics of the project is that, as other contractors for mechanical and electrical works also engaged in the project under separate contracts do their work concurrently during construction of civil works, interface coordination with the works of other contractors had to be made and partial handing over of the completion of civil works was implemented. The work commenced on October 1, 2000 and the tunnel penetration ceremony was held on November 7, 2003. As of March, the contractor for mechanical and electrical works is making greater effort toward commencement of the service in May 2005 (Our tunnel civil works were completed at the end of 2004). On completion of the project, the Hai Van tunnel will become the longest tunnel in South East Asia (L=6.3 Km).

- Middle and Young Staff Grown Vigorously

In the gap between the proposition of safe construction with a motto of “Safety Precedes All Others” and the reality that there are no contractors in Vietnam at all having the experiences of tunneling with NATM method, we chose a direct workmen hiring system for construction. But, the formation of workers with relatively advanced age (average: 47 years old) at the commencement of the work made us feel impossible to complete the work within the contractual time. Just before and after commencing tunnel excavation, we launched reformation of workers. Most of the staff assigned to the project are middle and young staff who experience the project abroad for the first time. However, all of them have grown vigorously with days spent under construction manager’s rigorous tutelage and have accomplished their obligations creditably.

- Tunnel technology transfer

The project is the construction of road tunnel using NATM method that is the first experience in Vietnam. In the circumstance that many other similar type of projects are planned in Vietnam, the Government of Vietnam had expected to learn the most up-to date tunneling technology through the construction of the Hai Van Pass Tunnel Project. The program for transfer of the tunneling technology has been incorporated in the project on the whole. On the Job Training (OJT) to learn the construction and consultant technologies and the NATM Training by especial curriculum were implemented by the consulting engineers and the contractors. We regarded it important that all workers were at all times cognizant of the importance of work program control and quality control as well as safety control that the contractor must adhere to, and conducted training as OJT of construction technology beginning from basic matters including transfer of message at times of morning's safety meeting and day/ night shifting. We also inculcated the significance of ascertaining the essence of matters for local engineers, leaders of each work team as supervisors, by giving engineers' short term course.

- Rules for tunnel experience

Lastly, we mention, as an important point of tunneling, "Rules for tunnel experience" repeatedly talked to staff and workers.

“You should not think that even if you could complete the Hai Van Pass Tunnel successfully other tunnels scheduled for construction in future would go well as well. Because as far as tunneling of Hai Van is concerned you faced and well experienced the difficulty due to solid excavation, but you have hardly experienced the battle with ground behavior and learnt how to cope with it. Tunnel is a linear structure. It is the mission of tunnel engineer that how to predict ground conditions of one meter ahead and that up to what degree can you raise the accuracy of provision for its counter plan against contingency. It is essential to take cognizance of the fact that you would encounter completely different state of affairs in every tunnel construction work. Tunnel construction is profound and sofiscated.”

We believe that the local staff and workers learnt and shared with us in hardship will obtain good result in the next tunnel construction work.

Completion of evacuation tunnel	Planting at North Porta

- Outline of the Project