Vietnam's North–South high-speed railway: route, timeline and what it changes for travellers

The short answer for travellers is that the line is a plan for the coming decade. Today's north-to-south journey is still made on the existing railway, by air or by road.

Vietnam's North–South high-speed railway at a glance

The National Assembly approved the project on 30 November 2024. It is the largest single transport investment in the country's history, and it is designed to link the two main urban centres along a single corridor.

Item	Official plan	Source of the figure
Endpoints	Ngọc Hồi (Hanoi) to Thủ Thiêm (Ho Chi Minh City)	Project documents
Length	About 1,541 km	VietNamNet, Asia Media Centre
Design speed	350 km/h	Ministry of Transport announcement
Budget	About US$67 billion	AP, reporting the National Assembly approval
Target start of construction	December 2027	Government announcement, September 2026
Target opening	2035	Government announcement, September 2026
Track type	Double track, 1,435 mm standard gauge	Project documents
Station count	30 total (25 passenger, 5 cargo)	Project documents

Every date and figure in this article is the official plan, not a guarantee. Treat them as the current stated intention of the government and the Ministry of Transport.

How to read the dates and figures

Published sources differ on several numbers, and it helps to know which figure is being used and why.

The budget appears as US$67 billion in reporting of the National Assembly approval. Some media round it to US$65 billion. This guide uses about US$67 billion as the main figure and notes the range of about US$65 to 67 billion depending on the source. No total in Vietnamese dong appears in the sources used here, so the article keeps the figure in US dollars.

The length is about 1,541 km according to VietNamNet and the Asia Media Centre. Earlier studies cited about 1,570 km and 27 stations. One reference infobox mentions a 2,070 km line, which does not match the approved project and is not used here.

The journey time on today's train is quoted as 32 hours in some sources, "over 30 hours" and "35 hours" in others. This guide writes "roughly 30 to 35 hours depending on service" to cover the range.

When a figure matters to your planning, check the latest announcement from the Ministry of Transport or Vietnam Railways rather than an older article. The project is still in its planning phase, and details are updated as decisions are made.

The rule applied throughout is to use the latest official announcement for each item and present it as the current plan. Superseded earlier target dates, earlier cost estimates and earlier route versions are left out.

What has been approved and when

The project sits inside a long-term framework. The government's railway development strategy to 2020 with a vision to 2050, approved in 2015, set the direction. The Railway Law revision of June 2017 added supporting mechanisms for rail investment.

In June 2024 the Minister of Transport announced a target of starting construction before 2030, completing in 2035, at a design speed of 350 km/h. The National Assembly then approved the project on 30 November 2024 at about US$67 billion and 1,541 km.

Date	Step	Body or source
2015	Railway development strategy to 2020, vision to 2050	Government
June 2017	Railway Law revision adds supporting mechanisms	National Assembly
June 2024	Design speed and construction target announced	Minister of Transport
30 November 2024	Project approved at about US$67 billion, 1,541 km	National Assembly
May 2026	Published timeline reported	VietNamNet
September 2026	Construction set to begin December 2027, opening targeted for 2035	Government announcement, CNN
23 September 2026	VinSpeed and Siemens Mobility agreement on trains, signalling, electrification and railway technology	Reported news

The project reflects national transport and economic strategy, and the approvals have moved through the formal channels in sequence. The timeline above shows the approval path and the construction and opening targets without implying certainty.

The planned route and stations

The route is a single double-track, standard-gauge corridor running the length of the country.

Termini

Ngọc Hồi station sits in southern Hanoi, about 10 km from Hanoi railway station. Thủ Thiêm station is in Thủ Đức, on the eastern bank of the Saigon river, about 8 km from Bến Thành Market. The published plan links Thủ Thiêm to the city centre by Metro Line 2 or the East–West Highway through the Thủ Thiêm tunnel.

Neither terminus is in the old city centre. When the line opens, door-to-door planning will need to account for the transfer into town, whether by metro, taxi or shuttle.

Stations by region

The published list covers the following stops. The regions below follow the geography of the corridor.

Region	Stations in the published list	Notes
North	Phủ Lý, Nam Định, Ninh Bình, Thanh Hóa, Vinh	Vinh marks the end of a first-phase section
North Central	Hà Tĩnh, Vũng Áng, Đồng Hới, Đông Hà, Huế	Huế serves the former imperial capital
Central	Đà Nẵng, Tam Kỳ, Quảng Ngãi, Bồng Sơn, Diêu Trì, Tuy Hòa	Diêu Trì is the stop for Quy Nhơn
South Central and South	Diên Khánh, Tháp Chàm, Phan Rí, Mương Mán, Long Thành	Diên Khánh for Nha Trang, Mương Mán for Phan Thiết, Long Thành at the international airport

Project documents cite 30 stations in total, 25 for passengers and 5 for cargo. The 23 names in the published list do not equal 25 passenger stations, so the list above is not presented as the full passenger count.

The project documents also list 10 depots along the corridor. These are maintenance and stabling sites rather than passenger stops.

Phasing

The published station list identifies Vinh in the north and Diên Khánh in the south as the ends of the first-phase sections, with 2035 as the target date. This means the first sections to open would connect the two main cities to the central coast before the full corridor is complete.

Speed, technology and journey times

The 350 km/h design speed sits on top of specific technical choices. The line is planned as double track on 1,435 mm standard gauge, electrified at 25 kV 60 Hz, with ETCS Level 2 signalling, and mostly elevated.

The key point for travellers is that the line is planned as an independent system from the existing metre-gauge (1,000 mm) line. The two networks are separate, so the high-speed line will not simply be a faster version of the Reunification Express.

Journey time comparison

Mode	Distance or detail	Duration	Source
Existing railway (Reunification Express)	1,726 km, metre gauge, average about 50 km/h	Roughly 30 to 35 hours	Vietnam Railways, Wikipedia
High-speed plan	About 1,541 km, up to 350 km/h	About 6 hours	Bloomberg
Earlier 300 km/h study, express	Stopping at Vinh, Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang	5 h 38 min	Feasibility study
Earlier 300 km/h study, all stops	Full stopping pattern	6 h 51 min	Feasibility study
Flight	Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City	About 2 hours in the air	Wikipedia
Intercity bus	Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City	Over 30 hours	Wikipedia

The flight corridor is one of the busiest in the world, with 11 million passengers in 2023 and over 60 daily flights according to Wikipedia.

Rail times are station to station, and the plan places the new stations outside the centres. The comparison with flying therefore depends on the transfer at each end. Allow time for the metro or a taxi into town on both sides of the journey.

The study figures of 5 h 38 min and 6 h 51 min are calculations from earlier feasibility work at 300 km/h, not timetables. They show the order of magnitude rather than the service that will run.

Budget, financing and partners

The approved figure is about US$67 billion according to AP's reporting of the National Assembly approval. Headlines quote a range of about US$65 to 67 billion. This is the full-corridor budget for construction and equipment, not a per-trip price.

International cooperation is reported in the sources as follows. Japan has conducted long-running technical studies through JICA and continues discussions. Vietnam has engaged with China on rail, with an agreement signed in August 2024 and loans and technology offered in April 2026 according to Reuters. VinSpeed and Siemens Mobility agreed a deal covering trains, signalling, electrification and railway technology, reported on 23 September 2026.

Ticket prices have not been announced in the sources used for this guide. The article therefore makes no fare claims. When fares are published, they will appear through Vietnam Railways and the project's official channels.

The first high-speed line: Hanoi to Hạ Long

The line a traveller could actually ride first is not the North–South corridor. A 120 km line with a design speed of 350 km/h between Hanoi and Hạ Long broke ground in April 2026, according to VnExpress and RailwayPro.

Completion is expected by the end of 2028 according to RailwayPro. It is a separate project from the North–South line.

For travellers heading to Hạ Long Bay, this is the project to watch. By the plan, the journey could be made by high-speed rail from the end of 2028, though the published sources do not give a journey time for the service.

Other rail projects travellers may hear about

Several other rail projects appear in planning documents and news reports. They are separate from the North–South line and are at different stages.

Project	What it is	Figure or date given in sources
Northern border link toward China	High-speed line connecting Hanoi to China's network, with a link toward Yunnan	Estimated at US$7.2 billion (179 trillion VND), construction starting in 2030
Lào Cai–Hà Nội–Hải Phòng line	A northern corridor line in the planning list	No figures or dates beyond what the sources support
Hanoi Metro	Urban metro, first line developed with technical support from a Chinese consortium led by China Railway Sixth Group	No opening dates, fares or timetables in the sources
Ho Chi Minh City Metro	Urban metro, first line developed with JICA funding and expertise, with Sumitomo, Shimizu and Maeda	Line 2 cited as the planned link to the Thủ Thiêm terminus
Ho Chi Minh City–Cần Thơ express railway	A southern corridor line in the planning list	Exists in the planning list only

On the question of a high-speed train from Vietnam to China: there is no such service today. The plans include two high-speed lines connecting Hanoi to China's network, and the Yunnan link is at the planning stage. Connections are in the planning stage, not in operation.

The two metros are relevant to the high-speed plan because Line 2 in Ho Chi Minh City is cited as the planned link to the Thủ Thiêm terminus. Hanoi's metro does not connect to the Ngọc Hồi terminus in the published plan, so transfers there will rely on road transport.

What it changes for a trip planned now

The North–South line is planned to start construction in December 2027 and open in 2035. It does not affect trips in the coming years.

The practical frame is straightforward. Ride the existing railway for the experience or for stop-overs along the coast. Fly for time. Combine the two when a single leg by air makes the itinerary work.

When the new line opens, the stations will be outside the centres at Ngọc Hồi and Thủ Thiêm. For now, rail travellers arrive at the existing central stations in both cities, which puts most accommodation within walking or short taxi distance.

For Hạ Long, the separate line is the one to watch. By the plan, travellers to Hạ Long may be able to use it from the end of 2028.

How to travel north to south by rail today

The current through journey is on the Reunification Express, Vietnam Railways' Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City service. It runs on the 1,726 km metre-gauge line at an average of about 50 km/h. Plan for roughly 30 to 35 hours end to end, which means at least one night aboard.

Option	Typical duration	Best for	Booking route
Reunification Express, through journey	Roughly 30 to 35 hours	The full overland experience, one night or more aboard	Vietnam Railways official ticket counters and online channels
Reunification Express, split with stop-overs	Several days depending on stops	Coastal stops at Huế, Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang and others	Vietnam Railways official channels, booked leg by leg
Flight	About 2 hours in the air	Saving time on a tight itinerary	Airline official channels
Intercity bus	Over 30 hours	Budget travel with flexible stops	Bus operator official channels

Splitting the trip

The main cities on the corridor include Vinh, Huế, Đà Nẵng and Nha Trang. A sample itinerary based only on those cities would run Hanoi to Vinh, Vinh to Huế, Huế to Đà Nẵng, Đà Nẵng to Nha Trang, and Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City. Most travellers combine rail with a flight for one leg to keep the trip within a reasonable number of days.

Booking

Use Vietnam Railways' official ticket counters and official online channels only. Train numbers, fares, departure times, seat and berth classes and segment durations change, so check the current official timetable on Vietnam Railways' official channels before booking.

Keep the ID you used for booking with you on the train. The name and document details on the ticket should match the traveller's identification.

The official route is the one to follow. Book through the operator, travel on the ticket you hold, and confirm the departure station and time on the day.

FAQ

Q: Is Vietnam getting high-speed rail? Yes. The National Assembly approved the 1,541 km North–South high-speed railway on 30 November 2024, and the first high-speed line, 120 km from Hanoi to Hạ Long, broke ground in April 2026. Dates are given as official plans.

Q: When will the Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City high-speed railway open? The latest announced plan sets the start of construction for December 2027 and targets opening in 2035. These are official targets attributed to the government and Ministry of Transport announcements.

Q: How long will the journey take? The plan is about six hours between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City at up to 350 km/h, against roughly 30 to 35 hours on today's Reunification Express. Earlier 300 km/h studies calculated 5 h 38 min for an express and 6 h 51 min for an all-stops service.

Q: Where will the stations be? The termini are Ngọc Hồi in southern Hanoi and Thủ Thiêm in Thủ Đức, Ho Chi Minh City, with stops including Vinh, Huế, Đà Nẵng, Diên Khánh for Nha Trang and Long Thành airport.

Q: Is there a high-speed train from Vietnam to China? Not at present. The plans include two high-speed lines connecting Hanoi to China's network, and the Yunnan link is estimated at US$7.2 billion (179 trillion VND), with construction targeted from 2030.

Q: How much will it cost? The approved figure is reported as about US$67 billion, with some media saying US$65 billion. Ticket prices have not been announced in the sources used, so no fare claims are made.

Q: Should I change travel plans because of the new railway? No. With construction targeted from December 2027 and opening in 2035, trips in the coming years use the existing railway, flights or buses. The section on travelling north to south by rail today covers the current options.