The Truong Son Wind Farm cluster sits on the summit of the Truong Son (Annamite) Range in Bolikhamxay Province, Laos, at elevations from 1,400 to nearly 2,000 meters above sea level. With a total investment of approximately USD 1 billion, it is the largest investment project by a Vietnamese enterprise in Laos to enter operation, invested by Viet Lao Investment and Energy Joint Stock Company (VLE).
VIETNAM GLOBAL TRANSPORT CORPORATION (VGT) performed transit and cross-border cargo services for the project: transporting 10 wind turbine towers — excluding blades, with the heaviest unit weighing up to 115 tons — from Nam On through the Thanh Thuy Border Gate, up to the construction site on the Truong Son summit.
The project’s challenges
This was one of the most demanding transport routes in terms of terrain that VGT has ever undertaken, with three compounding factors:
- Super-heavy cargo: each wind turbine tower is a massive cargo unit, with the heaviest reaching 115 tons;
- Steep mountain roads: the route up to the site has gradients of up to 18 degrees, requiring special traction-and-braking plans and load distribution to ensure safety on the climbs;
- Cross-border transportation: the cargo traveled from Vietnam through the Thanh Thuy Border Gate into Laos, entailing documentation and customs requirements on both sides.
Documentation and cross-border procedures
VGT supported the preparation and review of documents and coordinated customs procedures for the transit cargo at the Thanh Thuy Border Gate, ensuring smooth clearance so that the transport journey was never interrupted.
Route survey and the climb to the summit
Before execution, VGT surveyed the route to assess road load-bearing capacity, curves, and especially the steep sections. On that basis, VGT selected vehicles and a transport plan suited to super-heavy cargo on mountainous terrain, hauling each wind turbine tower up to the site according to the calculated plan, under close supervision along the entire route.
Proven capabilities
All 10 wind turbine towers were transported across the border and brought safely up to the site on the Truong Son summit. The project demonstrates the capability of Vietnam Global Transport Corporation to handle three difficult problems at once: super-heavy cargo, high-altitude steep terrain, and cross-border transportation — conditions that only a few companies can meet.