Vietnam readies new high-speed rail link by early 2028

HANOI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Construction of a high-speed railway linking Hanoi with the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh is scheduled to begin later this year, with operations expected to start in early 2028, the Vietnam News Agency reported Thursday.

The project, developed by VinSpeed High-Speed Rail Investment and Development Joint Stock Company, an affiliate of Vietnam's leading conglomerate Vingroup, will span 120 km and cost about 138.9 trillion Vietnamese dong (about 5.53 billion U.S. dollars).

It will run through Hanoi and northern provinces of Bac Ninh, Hai Phong, and Quang Ninh, as part of Vietnam's Railway Network Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, the report said.

This project is expected to be one of the only two high-speed railway lines in Vietnam, alongside the planned North-South express line connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. ■