Vietnam pushes back start of US$67 bil high-speed rail project

By Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen / Bloomberg

09 Sep 2026, 06:38 pm

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When completed, the high-speed rail project is set to have a total length of approximately 1,541km, starting in Hanoi and ending in the southern commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City

(Sept 9): Vietnam has delayed the start of construction of the US$67 billion (RM272.63 billion) North-South high-speed railway to the end of 2027, a year later than intended, a significant delay to what’s been billed as one of the country’s flagship infrastructure projects.

“The implementation has been slower than expected, mainly due to objective factors,” according to Construction Minister Tran Hong Minh in a posting on the ministry’s news website. Minh called for detailed implementation plans with clear timelines and individual accountability for site clearance, consultancy, surveying and construction work to accelerate the projects, the report said.

When completed, the high-speed rail project is set to have a total length of approximately 1,541km, starting in Hanoi and ending in the southern commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City and is expected to reduce the journey time from the current 30 hours to around five.

The government had initially planned to start construction in 2027 but moved up the timeline last year. Contractor bids had been due to be announced by June but there has yet to be confirmation of who has been selected.

The railway is part of a broader push to use public investment to unlock private capital and drive growth as Vietnam targets double-digit economic expansion this year. The Southeast Asian nation is investing billions in upgrading infrastructure across the country, including roads, airports and bridges.