On the morning of August 24, the National Assembly approved a resolution adjusting the investment policy for the construction of the Lao Cai–Ha Noi–Hai Phong railway line.
Accordingly, several provisions of National Assembly Resolution No. 187/2025 on the project’s investment policy have been adjusted. The project starts at the rail connection point across the border in Lao Cai Province and ends at Nam Hai Phong Station, with the main line measuring about 363km and passing through six provinces and cities: Lao Cai, Phu Tho, Ha Noi, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, and Hai Phong.
Specifically, new double-track sections will be built from Bac Hong Station to Nam Hai Phong Station and from Yen Vien Station to Gia Lam Station, while the remaining sections will remain single-track. The line will have a gauge of 1,435mm and serve both passenger and freight transport.
The line is designed for speeds of 160km per hour for the section from Lao Cai to Nam Hai Phong Station, 120km per hour for the section in the Ha Noi urban railway hub, and 80km per hour for the remaining sections.
The project will use rail-based technology, with electric traction for the main line and the branch line connecting Yen Vien Station and Gia Lam Station. Diesel traction will be used for branch lines connecting seaports, with locomotives to be converted to clean energy in the future.
The project’s estimated total land-use requirement is about 2,075ha, with resettlement for around 25,544 people. Its estimated total investment is 289.339 trillion VND, an increase of more than 86 trillion VND compared with the previously approved figure of 203.20 trillion VND.
The newly approved resolution sets the implementation schedule for the project, under which the feasibility study report will be prepared from 2025, with the aim of substantially completing the project by 2030 at the latest.
Presenting the explanatory and revised report before the National Assembly voted for approval, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh stated that the preliminary total investment previously approved by the National Assembly had been calculated in accordance with construction regulations and mentioned in the pre-feasibility study report.
Specifically, the adjusted preliminary total investment was calculated with greater precision and detail, based on the total investment value at the feasibility study report stage. It includes the list of technical standards approved by the Ministry of Construction; workload; unit prices of materials; and compensation, support, and resettlement policies updated to 2026.
The additional costs comprise 51.21 trillion VND in construction, installation, and equipment costs; 34.849 trillion VND in compensation, support, and resettlement costs; 163 billion VND in project management, construction investment, and other costs; and 114 billion VND in contingency costs.
