Prime Minister urges progress on $8.4 billion railway connecting to China

(Dan Tri) - For component project 1 of the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway, the Prime Minister requested approval of the feasibility study report in October; selection of construction contractor and supervision consultant before December 5...

On September 29, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting of the Government Standing Committee to listen to a report on the results of the first session of the Vietnam-China Joint Railway Cooperation Committee and review the situation and progress of work implementation, continuing to promote the implementation of the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project according to the set requirements.

According to the National Assembly Resolution, the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project is about 419km long with a total capital of 203,231 billion VND, equivalent to 8.37 billion USD, starting construction in 2025 and striving to complete in 2030. The Prime Minister requested to organize the groundbreaking ceremony for a number of construction items of the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project on December 19.

Overview of the Government Standing Committee meeting on the afternoon of September 29 (Photo: Doan Bac).

The Head of Government emphasized the spirit of "high determination, great effort, and drastic action" and doing what is possible immediately, closely coordinating with the Chinese side for exchanges.

The Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Construction to urgently appraise and announce the standards and regulations for the high-speed railway and the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway in accordance with the correct procedures, processes and authorities, and to complete them in October.

The Ministry of Education and Training and relevant agencies will immediately implement cooperation in human resource training, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to promote high-level activities to facilitate the implementation of connection projects with China.

The Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Finance to preside over and work with relevant agencies to calculate capital arrangement plans, including proactively mobilizing Vietnam's capital sources and studying and proposing the most effective loan plan, while continuing to work specifically with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank on the possibility of borrowing capital for the project. The specific plan on this must be reported to the Government Standing Committee in October.

The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Construction and relevant agencies to develop a master plan on progress, site clearance, and component projects.

Of which, for component project 1 (investment in infrastructure connecting stations on the line and station square, using domestic capital), the Prime Minister requested to complete and approve the feasibility study report in October; complete the technical design of the items to start construction before November 6.

The selection of construction contractors and supervision consultants must be completed before December 5, and the site clearance and bomb and mine clearance within the project's construction area must be completed before December 19, as requested by the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting (Photo: Doan Bac).

For component project 2 (investment in railway construction, using domestic capital and loans), the Prime Minister requested to urgently prepare a feasibility study report, to be completed by June 2026 at the latest, with the spirit of putting quality first and foremost.

Regarding the agreement on connecting standard gauge railways between the two countries, the Prime Minister directed to unify the documents and technical plans in September.

Regarding cooperation in developing the railway industry, the Prime Minister emphasized the viewpoint of implementing from low to high, from small to large, from simple to complex, ensuring each step is done firmly.

The Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Construction to continue to do a good job of presiding over and coordinating cooperation with China, building a roadmap, progress and specific working contents in the spirit of "6 clear". Along with the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project, the Prime Minister directed to continue promoting the Dong Dang - Hanoi and Mong Cai - Ha Long - Hai Phong railway projects connecting the two countries of Vietnam and China.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/thoi-su/thu-tuong-thuc-tien-do-tuyen-duong-sat-84-ty-usd-ket-noi-voi-trung-quoc-20250929192158467.htm