Vietnam North-South High-Speed Railway Construction Start Adjusted to December 2027

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 9, the Ministry of Construction of Vietnam announced the latest progress schedule for the North-South High-Speed Railway project, requiring the project to strive to commence construction in December 2027. The project owner has signed the project support consulting service contract, and the consulting unit has completed the feasibility study report task statement, cost estimates, and the preparation of related procurement documents. Currently, the procurement of preliminary consulting services, including engineering surveys, feasibility study report preparation, survey supervision, and environmental impact assessment, is being advanced.

The construction start target of December 2027 announced this time is postponed by about one year compared with the target of "ensuring construction starts by the end of 2026" proposed by the Ministry of Construction of Vietnam in December 2025. At the end of 2025, the Ministry of Construction of Vietnam required the formulation of a detailed implementation schedule and the use of special mechanisms to accelerate the selection of feasibility study consulting units to meet the requirement of starting construction by the end of 2026.

According to the latest arrangement, the project needs to further refine the timetable and division of responsibilities for land acquisition and demolition, consulting, surveys, and construction. Minister of Construction of Vietnam Tran Hong Minh required units such as the Thang Long Project Management Board to formulate detailed implementation plans, and at the same time study the division scheme for subsequent procurement packages for line infrastructure, stations, rolling stock, equipment, and materials.

The investment policy for the North-South High-Speed Railway has been approved by the National Assembly of Vietnam. The line has a total length of approximately 1,541 kilometers, starting from Ngoc Hoi Station in Hanoi in the north and ending at Thu Thiem Station in Ho Chi Minh City in the south. The entire line is newly built as a 1,435 mm standard-gauge double-track railway, with a design speed of 350 km/h and an axle load of 22.5 tons, and is planned to have 23 passenger stations and 5 freight stations. The project adopts the public investment model and electrified wheel-rail technology, with a preliminary total investment of VND 1,713.548 trillion, funded by the state budget and other lawful funding sources.

According to the administrative division basis at the time of approval by the National Assembly in 2024, the line passes through 20 provinces and cities. The overall schedule approved by the National Assembly is to launch the feasibility study in 2025 and strive to basically complete the project construction by 2035.