The start date of the Hanoi Guangning high-speed railway project in Vietnam has been confirmed. Vietnamese Minister of Construction Chen Hongming revealed during a meeting with Quang Ninh Province that the groundbreaking ceremony for the project is scheduled to be held on April 12, 2026. This high-speed railway is invested and constructed by VinSpeed, a subsidiary of Vietnam's richest man, Pham Il wang. It is the first officially launched 350 kilometer per hour high-speed railway project in Vietnam and is compared to the Vietnamese version of the Beijing Tianjin intercity railway in the industry, with symbolic significance.

At the beginning of 2026, the People's Committee of Guangning Province has approved the project investment plan, and the recently released Document No. 115 further clarifies that the groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the construction site of Halong Green Station in Halong Bay New District. The total length of the line is about 120 kilometers, using 1435mm standard rail and double track electrification design. The maximum operating speed is 350 kilometers per hour, starting from Hanoi Guluo Station and ending at the Tuanzhou Public Park area in Guangning Province. The project adopts PPP mode and is expected to be completed and opened to traffic in 2028.

The total investment of the project is about 147 trillion Vietnamese dong, equivalent to 5.6 billion US dollars, which does not include the land acquisition and demolition costs of about 10.27 trillion Vietnamese dong, which will be borne by the national finance. Compared to the previous plan, the total investment of the project has been increased by nearly 850 billion Vietnamese dong. In terms of funding, the investor raised approximately 22.11 trillion Vietnamese dong on their own, and the remaining over 125 trillion Vietnamese dong, accounting for about 85% of the funds, will be resolved through financing channels.

As early as the end of 2025, Vietnam's VinSpeed company reached a comprehensive strategic cooperation framework agreement with Germany's Siemens Mobility. According to the agreement, Siemens Mobility will be responsible for the design, supply, and integration of Velaro Novo high-speed trains and core railway systems for the Vietnam high-speed railway project, and the Hanoi Guangning high-speed railway will also be included in the scope of cooperation between the two parties. Keywords: Hanoi Guangning high-speed railway, Vietnam, 350 kilometers per hour

As a key transportation project in Vietnam with cross regional driving effects, the Hanoi Guangning high-speed railway will effectively promote the coordinated development of the Hanoi Capital Region and Guangning Province in areas such as economy and tourism, accelerating the process of regional economic and social integration. The implementation of this project will also accumulate experience and provide demonstration for Vietnam's subsequent planning and construction of the North South high-speed railway.Editor/Gong Ziwei