Greetings from Vientiane! Laos reopened on May 9 without any testing or quarantine requirements, so I am finally going to have a look at the Laos-China Railway. It worked out well that I attended a rail conference in Bangkok, then got an overnight train to the border to cross into Laos. I will also be doing a construction report for Vientiane while I am here.

It will eventually be possible to travel from Bangkok to Luang Prabang in half a day by train (once Thailand complete the high-speed train to the border). I often think about how improved railway speeds will change travel in Vietnam, which is the topic of this week’s article.

Latest Posts At Future Southeast Asia

Proposed speeds of the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City Express Railway

News

• US offers US$150 million development package to Asean countries on first day of summit

potus

A post shared by President Joe Biden (@potus)

🇰🇭 Cambodia

• Cambodia builds up EV infrastructure to speed electric ambitions

• Roar on the river: A torrent of sand shores up city’s rise

• Kingdom, China ink railway training deal

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• Indonesia looks to form special economic zone in South China Sea

• LRT Jabodebek to launch in December 2022: PT KAI

• ‘Infrastructure-first’ approach causes conflict in Indonesia

🇱🇦 Laos

• Vietnam to build new public park in Vientiane Capital

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• The ghost town of Forest City

“Originally envisioned as an innovative smart city constructed on four artificial islands in Johor, the project appears to be inching along with only a fraction of the occupants initially targeted.”

[Updated: Forest City Malaysia]

• Penang expects to open part of RM200m Gurney Wharf next year, whole project to complete by 2025

• Penang CM: Esplanade seawall open to public after RM12.9m facelift, but then…

New Esplanade walkway closed because of high tides

• No truth to claims that land, assets along ECRL line will be transferred to China

• ECRL not likely to be profitable, says Amanah rep

[Updated: East Coast Rail Link]

• Malaysia, Thailand agree to set up special committee on HSR project

[Updated: Bangkok – Kuala Lumpur High-Speed Railway]

🇵🇭 Philippines

• Unified Grand Central Station Update [May 12, 2022]

[Updated: Unified Grand Central Station]

🇸🇬 Singapore

• Work on Changi Airport T5 to restart, terminal to be ready around the mid-2030s

🇹🇭 Thailand

• New Chao Phraya bridge scheduled to open in 2023

• New conflict triggered over Orange Line between MRTA and BTS

• Illegal Pattaya houses demolished to clear path of high-speed train

[Updated: Don Mueang–Suvarnabhumi–U-Tapao high-speed railway]

🇻🇳 Vietnam

• Buyers shun $30bn vacation properties in Vietnamese market

When I visit places like Phu Quoc and Phan Thiet and see so many shophouses and aparthotels being built I wonder who is going to buy all these properties.

• After COP26 pledge, can Vietnam revive flagging wind, solar industries to transition to clean energy?

• Can Tho wants rail link with HCMC to be kicked off before 2030

[Updated: Mekong Delta Railway]

• Ho Chi Minh City to add at least 10ha of public parks this year