Vietnam accelerates two key railway projects
The Ministry of Construction has reported to the government on the progress of major railway projects, including the Lao Cai–Hanoi–Hai Phong line and the North–South high-speed railway.
On March 18, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a government standing meeting to review progress on key railway projects, including the North–South high-speed railway, the Lao Cai–Hanoi–Hai Phong line, inter-regional connections, and urban railway systems in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
For the Lao Cai–Hanoi–Hai Phong line, the project has been implemented on Dec. 19, 2025. Under component project 1, covering infrastructure linking stations and public squares, contractors have begun work at five stations: Lao Cai, Phu Tho, Bac Hong, Luong Tai and Hai Duong Nam.
Contractor selection has largely met schedule, with all five consultancy packages in the project preparation phase completed, along with six of 12 consultancy packages in the implementation phase. The remaining six packages, including three construction and three supervision consultancy contracts, are being carried out in parallel with component project 2.
Regarding technical design, five out of 21 stations have had their designs approved. The remaining stations are under survey and are expected to be completed by June 2026 to support construction.
Under component project 2, the ministry has completed contractor selection for 14 of 16 consultancy packages in the preparation phase. The remaining two packages, related to the feasibility study and legal support, are expected to be completed in March.
At the same time, procedures are underway to select contractors for eight packages, prioritizing survey and technical design.
The feasibility study is expected to complete its initial report by the end of March 2026. Vietnam and China will then conduct internal appraisals in April, finalise documents in May and carry out a joint appraisal in June before submission for approval.
Technical design work is also being accelerated, with contracts expected to be signed in April 2026.
Several sections, particularly those passing through Hanoi and intersecting with the Gia Binh airport, will be prioritized for early design completion to begin construction by late 2026, in preparation for the APEC conference.
For the North–South high-speed railway project, the ministry said it has approved tasks related to forest land conversion and environmental impact assessments.
Consultants are finalizing bidding plans and documents for survey and feasibility study packages, expected to be completed in March 2026, with contractor selection scheduled for the second quarter.
In parallel, all 15 localities, along with Vietnam Electricity, have reviewed land clearance requirements, relocated power infrastructure and begun developing resettlement areas to ensure overall project progress.
The ministry has also instructed the Thang Long Project Management Board to finalize documents in March, paving the way for selecting consultants to prepare the feasibility study for the high-speed railway project in the second quarter of 2026.
Hai Phong News