The preparation for the North South high-speed railway in Vietnam is tight, but there have been two consecutive setbacks recently. Firstly, the environmental impact assessment consultation failed, and then the most crucial feasibility study preparation was also halted. These two pieces of news caused the start of construction clock to turn again. This highly anticipated billion dollar project is stuck in the most crucial aspect.

Consulting standards have overturned one after another

Recently, the Vietnam Shenglong Project Management Committee cancelled the TV-02 section, which involves surveying, feasibility study preparation, front-end engineering design, and bidding document preparation. The budget for this section is 107.82 trillion Vietnamese dong, approximately 417 million US dollars, lower than the initial bid of 13.004 trillion Vietnamese dong. The bid section was participated by a consortium of 8 enterprises, including three Chinese design companies and five Vietnamese companies, TEDI, TRICC, TEDI SOUTH, HOANG LONG, and VNCC. It was cancelled due to the documents not meeting the requirements for bidding validity.

On October 20, 2026, the project management committee cancelled the TV-05 environmental impact assessment consulting section, with a budget of 59.175 billion Vietnamese dong, approximately 2.29 million US dollars, a significant decrease from the initial 325 billion yuan. The project involved a consortium of six Vietnamese institutions, CSD, TEDI, TRECO, IES, VIWASE, and CEDA, and was cancelled due to the plan not meeting technical requirements. Both sections were tendered through designated bidding, with the intention of rushing for time. However, two consecutive unsuccessful bids resulted in new delays.

Move the starting point later

There are a total of five consultation sections in the investment preparation stage of the North South high-speed railway, and the remaining three have been selected, covering survey supervision, railway standard procurement translation, and environmental impact assessment outline preparation. The contract amount ranges from 598 million Vietnamese dong to 57.933 billion Vietnamese dong. The peripheral sections are advancing, but the core feasibility study preparation is stuck. Keywords: Vietnam North South High Speed Railway, Consultation on failed bids

The Vietnamese National Assembly approved the project investment proposal on November 30, 2024. The original plan was to complete the feasibility study approval in September 2026, select contractors by the end of 2026, and start construction. The construction target has been adjusted to December 2027, and it is required to complete the selection of feasibility study consulting units in the fourth quarter of 2026. As of September 2026, the project's annual funding allocation was approximately 2096.8 billion Vietnamese dong, equivalent to 81.17 million US dollars, accounting for only 3.7% of the annual plan. The dual pressure of funds and progress remains uncertain as to when the construction of this north-south artery will begin.Editor/Min Jing