VIETNAM

Vietnam is one of the countries receiving the most BRI investment from China, ranked 2nd after Pakistan.141 Two projects, the Kunming-Hanoi Highway and Vietnam Long Jiang Industrial Park, have been completed. Hanoi Light Rail and Vinh Tan 1 Coal-fired Power Plant are under construction and the Kunming-Hanoi Road and China-Laos-Vietnam Grid Connection are planned. Another proposed project is a rail link from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City, which is the missing link on the eastern line of the Kunming–Singapore railway and the backbone of China-Indochina Peninsular Economic Corridor (CIPEC).

A Laos-Vietnam Railway Project (LVRP) is under consideration to extend Laos’s recently completed railway to Kunming, China, by 330 km to the border trading city of Thakhek, and then a further 140 km to the Vietnamese port of Vung Ang. In the first phase, the railway would connect Thakhek with Vung Ang; the second phase would connect Thakhek to Vientiane. Construction will involve engineering a route through the Annamite range of Vietnam. According to the feasibility study completed in 2017, the track would be 555 km and cost $5 billion.142

The new railway system plan for 2021-2030 was approved by the prime minister in 2021 and includes renovating and upgrading existing railways, connecting with international transport routes, and preparing capital and resources to start construction on new routes. Priority is given to north-south high-speed routes and those linking gateway seaports, international airports, and main railways in major cities.143

The new railway system plan includes nine new railways with a total length of 2,362 km and it includes a 1,545 km north-south high-speed route connecting Hanoi’s Ngoc Hoi station and Ho Chi Minh City’s (HCMC) Thu Thiem station, a 102 km route connecting Hanoi and northern Hai Phong Port City, a 103 km route connecting Vung Ang Port and the Mu Gia Pass along the Vietnam-Lao border, and a 84k km route connecting Bien Hoa city of southern Dong Nai province and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. It also includes a 174 km route linking HCMC and the Mekong Delta’s Can Tho city, a 128 km route linking HCMC and Loc Ninh district of southern Binh Phuoc province, and a 38 km route from Thu Thiem Railway Station in HCMC to Long Thanh International Airport in southern Dong Nai province.144 In addition to building new railways, the seven existing routes with a total length of 2,440 km will be upgraded under the plan. The total capital needed for both upgrading and building railways will be around $10.5 billion.

141 ICLG.com. CDR—Belt and Road Initiative, Vietnam. 21/09/2021 https://iclg.com/cdr-essential-intelligence/1100-cdr-the-belt-and-road- initiative-2021/ vietnam

142 China Environment Net. Laos-Vietnam Railway Project considered. 5 July 2022 https://china-environment- news.net/blog/2022/07/05/laos-vietnam-railwayproject-considered/ https://www.phnompenhpost.com/international/vietnam- build-nine-newrailways

143 The Phnom Penh Post. Vietnam to build nine new railways. 25 October 2021.

144 The Phnom Penh Post. Vietnam to build nine new railways. 25 October 2021. https://www.phnompenhpost.com/international/vietnam-build-nine-newrailways