National Route 1A (Vietnam)


National Route 1A is the trans-Vietnam highway. The route begins at km 0 at Hữu Nghị Quan Border Gate near the China-Vietnam border, runs the length of the country connecting major cities including Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, and ends at km 2301.34 at Năm Căn township in Cà Mau Province.

Road layout

National Route 1A runs across provinces and cities of Vietnam:
The National Route 1A was constructed by the French colonists in early 20th century. It has been upgraded recently by Japanese ODA as well as loans from World Bank. During both the First Indochina War and Second Indochina War, Road 1A was the site of a number of battles between Vietnamese forces and French or American troops. One of the most notable engagements was the French Operation Camargue in 1953.
During the Republic of Vietnam regime, there are two divided sections of the main highway from Quang Tri to Ba Xuyen : QL-1 and QL-4. Extensive upgrade work was done on the QL-1, and QL-19 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the 2nd Indo China War. In 1966 the 19th Combat Engineer Battalion began to "upgrade highway QL-1 from virtually a dirt trail, to a class 31 all-weather road, from Qui Nhon north to Bong Son." By 1970, the QL-1 had been upgraded all the way to Mo Duc. QL-1 bypass the route around Saigon-Bien Hoa. In the Mekong Delta, NH4 stretches distance of Long An province to Ba Xuyen province.

Future

The central section of the highway, from Hanoi to Cần Thơ, is planned to be duplicated by the North-South Expressway.