How not to build a high-speed railway

News #253: Travel update, best cities in Southeast Asia, development of KL-Singapore HSR, Singapore budgets for Changi Airport and metro expansion, Vietnam approves Lào Cai-Hà Nội-Hải Phòng railway project.

Author

James Clark
February 19, 2025

The Future Southeast Asia Newsletter features transport and urban development news in Southeast Asia, edited by James Clark.

Travel update

Hello from Ho Chi Minh City. I'm back in Vietnam for the next three months, and I will visit some coastal hotspots (Nha Trang and Da Nang) and some places I haven't visited in the Central Highlands.

Da Nang continues to rise as a global city with the impending addition of Emirates. I will be writing a city report while I'm there.

For future travel, I will be back in Thailand in May but I have nothing locked in after that. On my list of places to visit are Bokeo/Golden Triangle area in Laos, Nusantara/Kalimantan, and the Philippines.

I haven't covered much of the Philippines, partly because of the lack of connections to the rest of Southeast Asia. There has been some good news for the Philippines this month with new flights from Cebu to Ho Chi Minh City and Iloilo to Bangkok.

A section of the Luzon railway is about to reopen this month (see the news below), so I should ride that so I can say I've been on every railway in Southeast Asia.

Premium article

Vietnam has an ambitious plan to build a high-speed railway. Here is what Vietnam can learn from four different rail projects in Asia:

Laos-China Railway: Transformative for tourism and freight movement, but poorly negotiated terms.

Bangkok-Nong Khai High-Speed Railway: Self-financing and land clearance issues.

Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway: Competition between China vs Japan and cost blowouts.

Mumbai–Ahmedabad HSR: Partnering with Japan and technology transfer.

Become a paid subscriber to read the article.

News

“The inaugural Asia-Pacific’s Best Cities Report ranks the overall performance of more than 140 principal cities of metropolitan areas in the Asia-Pacific region with populations of more than one million, using Resonance Consultancy’s unique combination of core statistics and qualitative evaluations and recommendations by locals and visitors. Please see pg. 4 of the report for the full methodology, or go to the World’s Best Cities Methodology page.”

Travel listicles are usually random and meaningless, but this organisation has a methodology for their ranking. You can the full list here:

The list of Southeast Asia cities includes:

1) Singapore

6) Bangkok, Thailand

10) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

23) Jakarta, Indonesia

28) Hanoi, Vietnam

29) Johor Bahru, Malaysia

31) Penang, Malaysia

35) Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

41) Phnom Penh, Cambodia

48) Denpasar, Indonesia

52) Bandung, Indonesia

53) Manila, Philippines

60) Da Nang, Vietnam

68) Surabaya, Indonesia

86) Pattaya, Thailand

87) Medan, Indonesia

90) Malang, Indonesia

91) Davao City, Philippines

92) Cebu, Philippines

98) Ipoh, Malaysia

I’m offended that Chiang Mai isn’t on the list, which is usually the point of these lists to offend you at least once so you will go online and rant about it.

As for Hanoi being above Ho Chi Minh City, I usually tell people that Hanoi is a better tourist city, but HCMC is a better living city.

I found out about this list via The Straits Times, who were quick to trumpet the Number 1 ranking. Meanwhile, The Phnom Penh Post took the “glass half full” approach by celebrating being in the top half.

🇰🇭 Cambodia

• Japan fund new $140K Koh Rong pier [Phnom Penh Post]

🇮🇩 Indonesia

"Restarting exports to neighbouring countries could fuel ecological devastation, but a sustainable approach to sand dredging may be possible."

🇱🇦 Laos

🇲🇾 Malaysia

 🇵🇭 Philippines

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇹🇭 Thailand

"Aside from allowing commuters to buy a single ticket covering various forms of public transport in Bangkok, the Common Ticketing System Management Bill should help to bring down the prices of these services in Bangkok, a public hearing was told."

• B4bn sought for light railway [Bangkok Post]

"Nakhon Ratchasima: Local authorities will ask for about 4 billion baht from the government to fund the province's light rail transit system, the construction of which is expected to begin next year."

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

"East Timor has become a stable democracy after securing independence in 2002. But its finances are precarious, and nearly half of its people live in poverty."

🇻🇳 Vietnam

• New railway to link Gia Binh Airport with Hanoi’s transportation network [VietNamNet Global]

"Hanoi and Bac Ninh authorities have finalized a proposal for a 49.52 km railway connecting Gia Binh Airport to the heart of Hanoi, aligning with long-term urban planning."

"Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, is ranked as one of the world’s most polluted cities in 2025. This dubious honour highlights the country’s need to balance rapid economic development with preserving the environment."

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