Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong Railway: China is ready to provide aid to prepare a feasibility report

The Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway is expected to have a total investment of 11.6 billion USD. China affirmed its willingness to provide aid for Vietnam to build a feasibility report for this project.

Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu (left) in a meeting with Mr. La Chieu Huy, head of CIDCA, on December 9 - Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

According to information from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 11, within the framework of activities on the occasion of the 16th meeting of the Vietnam - China Bilateral Cooperation Steering Committee, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu had a meeting with Director General of the China National Administration for International Development Cooperation (CIDCA) Luo Zhaohui.

Speeding up 3 railway lines connecting Vietnam and China

Discussing a number of specific projects at the meeting on December 9, Permanent Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Vu asked China to soon approve non-refundable aid to help Vietnam prepare a feasibility study report for the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project.

Regarding the remaining two railway lines that will connect with China in the future, Dong Dang - Hanoi and Mong Cai - Ha Long - Hai Phong, Mr. Vu proposed to coordinate to speed up the implementation of planning.

Mr. Vu, who is also the Secretary General of the Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation, also proposed to speed up the signing of documents confirming the granting of non-refundable ODA for the project to repair and maintain the Vietnam-China Friendship Palace, and to complete the dossier to implement the project to build a new facility 2 of the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine.

Also at the meeting, the Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam asked China to soon approve funding for four projects in the social and people's livelihood sectors in Tuyen Quang, Bac Kan and Yen Bai provinces from an aid of 600 million yuan (more than 2,000 billion VND); and continue to coordinate and effectively implement cooperation in human resource training.

Appreciating the cooperation proposals of Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Vu, Director General of CIDCA La Chieu Huy affirmed his readiness to work with Vietnam to effectively implement the high-level common perception.

China will give priority to Vietnam in accessing multilateral cooperation funds within the framework of the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation.

Regarding the three railway lines mentioned above, the head of CIDCA said that China is willing to provide aid to support Vietnam in building a feasibility report for the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway line, coordinate in implementing the planning of the Dong Dang - Hanoi and Mong Cai - Ha Long - Hai Phong railway lines, and support the training of railway staff.

The Chinese side will also speed up the implementation of the project to repair and maintain the Vietnam-China Friendship Palace and the project to build a new campus of the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine and Pharmacy; and strive to put the projects and documents signed between the two countries in the field of development cooperation into practice soon.

Target to start construction in 2025

The Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway is about 417km long, 1,435mm gauge and electrified. In the future, this line will connect to Kunming in Yunnan province, China.

The total investment of the project is estimated at about 11.6 billion USD. When in operation, passenger trains can run at about 160 km/h and freight trains at about 120 km/h.

During his working trip to China in November 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that this is a very important railway line, contributing to connecting the framework of the "Belt and Road" and "Two Corridors, One Economic Belt". Through this, Yunnan province has a faster way to the sea, contributing to helping the northern border provinces of Vietnam develop socio-economy and reduce poverty.

The head of government also said that Vietnam is determined to focus on building this route, with the goal of starting construction in 2025.

China has provided non-refundable aid to develop detailed plans for the new Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway line and handed over the research results in August 2024.

To speed up the progress and ensure the quality of the project, the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport has approved non-refundable technical assistance to review the pre-feasibility study report. The Chinese side has also sent experts to provide technical assistance since October 2024 to coordinate with Vietnamese consultants in the process of preparing the pre-feasibility study report.

The rail connection will not only benefit Vietnam, ensuring domestic supply chains, but also China and other Southeast Asian countries. The immediate benefits are shortened transport times, cost savings and increased customs clearance.

Vietnamese goods exported to China can penetrate deeper into other markets such as Russia, especially after General Secretary To Lam's visit to Mongolia in September 2024.

Mongolia has declared its support for Vietnam's participation in the trilateral international road transport agreement between Russia, Mongolia and China and agreed to continue studying the establishment of a mechanism for the transport of goods among the three countries of Vietnam, China and Mongolia.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/duong-sat-lao-cai-ha-noi-hai-phong-trung-quoc-san-sang-vien-tro-lap-bao-cao-kha-thi-20241211170042624.htm