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Da Nang construction update for 2020 - projects that are continuing despite the pandemic

Battambang airport revival, Yangon Central Railway Station, the proposed Chiang Rai railway, and 5 new rail projects in Southern Vietnam.

Hello from Ho Chi Minh City! This week I’ve posted the last construction update for 2020. Lets hope that in 2021 I get to do more updates from around Southeast Asia.

This week’s news articles have a lot of updates about railways, which is not a bad thing.

Latest Posts at Living In Asia

An update on major building projects in Danang under construction in 2020.

Updated Posts

Malaysia

Philippines

Thailand

“France’s ambassador to Thailand discussed a possible role for his country in developing the planned Pattaya monorail and the Eastern Economic Corridor during a visit here.”

Vietnam

"The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) might have to use up five years of cash reserves for building the Long Thanh International Airport."

Other News

Cambodia

“Much of Cambodia's rapid economic growth in recent decades can be attributed to one substance: sand. Homes are built with it, islands created and wetlands filled. But while it's being extracted en masse from the Kingdom's rivers, environmental considerations in the shadowy industry are hard to come by.”

“In December, Sihanoukville appears stripped to its components: Bright blue sky streaks through the metal and concrete frames of half-built, abandoned skyscrapers, and scraggly trees and grasses take hold of empty lots marked by for-sale signs.”

Battambang is an underrated destination in Cambodia, partly because there is no airport, and it’s on the longer way between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. I spent 2 weeks there once, and I thought that it would be an ideal provincial city destination for the likes of AirAsia.

“The Phnom Penh International Airport railway tracks spanning busy Russian Boulevard will be covered over with a protective layer of sand and bitumen in order to save on maintenance costs, according to the Royal Group.”

India

“The rail network, in the northern city of Agra, will connect the 17th Century monument and other historic sites with railway stations and bus stops.”

Indonesia

“The railway, China’s landmark BRI project in Indonesia, has failed to account for its economic and social impacts.”

Laos

“On October 6, news of a $50 million dollar investment to build a port in the Laotian town of Ban Mom led the business section of the Vientiane Times, a prominent state-run newspaper. In the second paragraph, readers were told that a man named Zhao Wei participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the project.

What they weren't told is this: According to the United States, Zhao is one of the world's most notorious narcotics traffickers.”

Malaysia

“Melaka Gateway faced scrutiny amid rising number of Belt and Road deals.”

“China denies but Malaysia insists fugitive 1MDB fraudster Jho Low is living quietly and comfortably in Macau.”

Myanmar

“Japanese trading house will deliver 246 cars for two rail projects.”

Here is what a future Yangon Central Railway Station will look like, according to Oxley (a Singaporean property developer).

Singapore

I’ve resisted using TikTok, but if it means getting urban design fails fixed up then maybe I should start.

Thailand

“The schemes are called "Neo Koh Lan" and "Old Town Na Klua", after two of the city's main tourism magnets.”

Den Chai to Chiang Rai Railway

The new railway to Chiang Rai appears to be making progress with the approval of land acquisition along the corridor from Den Chai to Chiang Rai. After Chiang Rai the line will travel to Chiang Khong on the Laos border, and there is another line planned for Mae Sai for the Myanmar border. This was posted at the Thailand.Infra Facebook page. Here is a map in Thai of the route:

The Chiang Rai railway will begin at Den Chai on the current Bangkok-Chiang Mai line. There is also a Google Map showing a detailed route of the Denchai-Chiang Rai project.

For more news like this, join the Southeast Asia Railways group on Facebook (I’m the admin there).

Vietnam

The big news in Vietnam this week was the announcement of five new railway lines in and around Ho Chi Minh City. Here is a map of the route from a Vietnamese news site:

Before we get too excited, these lines have been in planning for years, and they have been announced over and over again over the years. In fact I keep the receipts, so to speak, where you can see how often these projects are reannounced. Here are the projects I’ve featured before:

Being based in Saigon I’m eagerly awaiting for any kind of new railway, so I was happy to see that they are aiming for railways to be built by 2025. I also know not to believe this until I see equipment on the ground, and even then you should expect construction delays.

This one should be filed under Bhutan, as that is where the bridge is. This is in relation to the East-West Economic Corridor, which ends in Vietnam.

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