What Vietnam can learn from other high-speed rail projects

Vietnam announced in 2024 that it plans to build a high-speed railway from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.

The railway will be 1,541 km long and have a top operating speed of 350 km/h. It is estimated to cost US$67 billion and will be mostly financed domestically to avoid dependence on foreign loans.

In addition to this financing plan, the government is seeking technology transfers to not be reliant on foreign operators.

The construction timeline has been proposed to break ground in late 2027, with a completion date of 2025.

It’s an ambitious project that puts other railway plans in Southeast Asia to shame. Thailand and Malaysia should have upgraded their railway network instead of double-tracking their old metre-gauge network. You have to give credit for the audaciousness of the Vietnam HSR plan.

Of course, this plan is easier said than done. Vietnam has no modern history of new railway construction, and they couldn’t complete a renovation of the old Ha Long Railway.

It’s hard to predict how accurate the cost predictions and estimated construction timeline will be when there are no previous examples. Other railway projects in Asia offer a glimpse of what Vietnam could expect in constructing a high-speed railway, as well as examples of what not to do.

This article looks at the lessons that Vietnam can learn from the Laos-China Railway, the Bangkok-Nong Khai High-Speed Railway, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, and the Mumbai–Ahmedabad HSR.

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