The construction works on 460 km standard gauge railway connecting Hai Phong, Hanoi, and Lao Cai—a key trade corridor with China’s Yunnan Province is expected to commence by 2025 year end. The government aims to start construction in December 2025, expediting administrative procedures and land compensation coordination.
The railway forms a crucial segment of the China–Vietnam cross-border rail network, formalised under a recent China-Vietnam Railway Cooperation Agreement attended by President Xi Jinping in Hanoi. Additional future routes, including Hai Phong–Halong–Mong Cai (187 km) and Hanoi–Lang Son (156 km), are also in the pipeline.
The Hai Phong–Lao Cai line is part of Vietnam’s broader strategy to strengthen both international and domestic rail infrastructure. This includes the landmark North-South High-Speed Railway project (1,541 km), estimated at USD68.04 billion, with a targeted construction start by late 2026 following a feasibility study and contractor selection by November 2025.
