VIETNAM’s prime minister, Pham Minh Chinh, has signed an official dispatch requesting expedited construction of the 460km standard-gauge railway from Haiphong and Hanoi to Lao Cai on the Chinese border. It is one of three new lines planned to connect Vietnam with China and construction is due to start at the end of this year for completion by 2030.
The official dispatch was sent to the ministers of construction, foreign affairs, agriculture and environment, and finance. The minister of construction, Tran Hong Minh, was asked to work closely with local authorities to resolve local land ownership issues, ahead of the project's planned groundbreaking on December 19.
Last month Vietnam and China held a launch event in Hanoi, attended by China’s president, Xi Jinping, to mark the China-Vietnam Railway Cooperation Accord. Several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed at the ceremony and progress was reported on two other new standard-gauge rail links between Vietnam and China: the 187km Haiphong - Halong - Mong Cai line and the 156km Hanoi - Lang Son line, both of which are expected to start construction after 2030.
Vietnam is also focusing on expanding its domestic rail network. In December, the National Assembly passed a resolution approving a government proposal to build the North-South Railway, a $US 67bn 1541km high-speed line that will connect Hanoi with Ho Chi Minh City.
According to a government resolution released in April, contractors will be selected by November 2026. The Ministry of Construction has been tasked with finalising the project, including a comprehensive feasibility study due to be completed by August 2026. This will be submitted to the prime minister for final approval the following month.
Assuming construction begins at the end of 2026, completion is anticipated by 2035.
Domestic steel
Moves to speed up construction of new lines come after Vietnamese steelmaker Hoa Phat Group broke ground in April on a new factory that will produce rail and other high-grade steel products. The company is investing Dong 14 trillion ($US 556m) in the new plant, which is located in the Dung Quat 2 Industrial Zone in the central province of Quang Ngai. Production will be centred on types of steel and products that have not previously been produced in Vietnam.
