Vietnam high-speed railway project appraisal report ready this week

An appraisal report for the North-South high-speed railway pre-feasibility study will be completed before this Saturday by the Ministry of Planning and Investment for submission to the National Assembly later in the month.

Under an announcement newly issued by the Government Office on Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha's conclusion, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung will direct the State Appraisal Council to complete appraising the pre-feasibility study by the Ministry of Transport (MoT) and submit a report to the Government before October 5.

Receiving such a report from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Government Office will send it to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers for comments, based on which the MoT will make a report for submission to the Government before October 7.

At a meeting held last Wednesday to discuss the $67.34 billion mega project, Ha had asked the MoT to urgently complete a pre-feasibility study report for the project.

Per the MoT's pre-feasibility study report, the 1,541 km high-speed railway project will have a designed speed of 350 km/hour. It will primarily serve passenger transportation and carry light cargo when needed. The electrified railway route will have 23 passenger and five cargo stations connected to key cargo hubs.

It will begin at the Ngoc Hoi station in Hanoi and pass through 20 provinces and cities before ending at the Thu Thiem station in Ho Chi Minh City.

The MoT report proposed several funding sources for the project including the central budget (for the medium term), government bonds, and locality contributions.

It expects that a bidding process in 2025-2026 will select international consultants. This phase will also include conducting surveys and preparing a pre-feasibility study report.

The two sections that are to be built by 2030 are: Hanoi to Vinh in the central province of Nghe An; and Nha Trang in the central province of Khanh Hoa to HCMC. Work on the third section, from Vinh to Nha Trang, is planned to begin in 2028-2029, with the goal of completing the whole project by 2035.

The high-speed railway is expected to meet increasing transportation needs, optimize and restructure the transportation market share along the North-South corridor, create a foundation for socio-economic development, and enhance national defense and security, the MoT report said.

To date, at least three countries – Japan, China, and South Korea – have expressed interest in joining the mega project. The Vietnamese government has proposed borrowing funds from Japanese and South Korean counterparts to implement the project.