Vietnam Economic Times June, 29 2026

Dear readers,

The Hanoi Capital Master Plan with a 100-year Vision, officially approved by the Hanoi People’s Committee on May 13, 2026, reflects the overarching philosophy of “Cultural Heritage - Civilization - Modernity,” with one of its standout features being the city’s strategic infrastructure network, primarily consisting of ring roads and urban railway lines, among others.

Under the Master Plan, the capital’s urban railway system is to include 16-19 lines in the future, with a projected total length of over 1,000 km, 400-450 km of which are to be completed by 2035.

On the morning of June 22, in the presence of Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, Hanoi broke ground at five new urban railway lines, at a total length of some 303.5 km and with preliminary total investment of over VND1,300 trillion (nearly $50 billion), marking a key milestone in the journey of realizing the 100-year vision for Vietnam’s capital.

This is the first time any city in Vietnam has simultaneously commenced the construction of five urban railway lines.

With basic completion expected by 2030, the new lines will connect Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi Railway Station, Ngoc Hoi, Hoa Lac, Co Loa, Ocean Park, and other dynamic development areas in the capital.

The simultaneous breaking of ground at the five large-scale projects marks an important shift for Hanoi, from a model of investing in standalone urban railway lines to investing in an interconnected network that will serve as a framework for organizing urban transportation space, as outlined in the 100-year Master Plan.

According to transportation experts, many countries use the benchmark of 100 km of urban railway as a measure for determining the effectiveness of this mode of transport within urban transportation systems. The 100-km mark also represents a sufficiently-large market scale to attract businesses to take part in the railway industry, and when the market is large enough, companies are motivated to invest, develop production, research technology, and train human resources for the urban railway network.

Clearly, the project building five urban railway lines in Hanoi, which have a total length of over 300 km, not only contributes to gradually forming a modern and convenient interconnected public transport network across the city, under the Transit- Oriented Development (TOD) model, but will also create an important milestone when completed, affirming the “market size” of Hanoi’ urban railway network to attract both domestic and foreign businesses to invest in the railway industry in the capital specifically and in the country as a whole.

However, questions arise as to how the project will be implemented, especially regarding investment, construction progress and quality, and the multifaceted impacts on the residential areas these railway lines are to pass through, along with finding effective solutions to such issues.

To provide readers with the latest information on the five new railway lines, our Cover Story in this edition focuses on presenting an overview of the project and its colossal investment of nearly $50 billion. Expert perspectives are provided on overall transportation infrastructure development and the heavy debt burden that may arise when the necessary capital sources are mobilized.

Hanoi’s public transportation landscape is set to change, with analysis provided on urban real estate development under the TOD model - which has emerged as a revolutionary model for urban restructuring in the 21st century - and the various effects the five railway line projects will have.

Warmest regards

Dr. CHU VAN LAM
CHAIRMAN OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD