Editing Transport in Vietnam (section)

== Railways ==
{{Main|Rail transport in Vietnam}}
[[File:Vietnam Railway Map.png|thumb|220px|The [[North–South railway (Vietnam)|Vietnamese railway]] network.]]
The Vietnamese railway network has a total length of {{convert|2600|km|mi}}, dominated by the {{convert|1726|km|mi}} [[single track (rail)|single track]] [[North–South Railway (Vietnam)|North–South Railway]] running between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The national railway network uses mainly {{track gauge|1000mm|allk=on}}, although there are several {{track gauge|1435mm|allk=on}} and [[mixed gauge]] lines in the North of the country. There were 278 stations on the Vietnamese railway network as of 2005, most of which are located along the North–South line. The Vietnamese railway network is owned and operated by the state-owned enterprise [[Vietnam Railways]] (VNR), which operates a number of different subsidiaries involved in construction, communications, training, and other activities connected to railway maintenance.<ref name="adb-laocai">{{cite web|url=http://www.adb.org/Documents/RRPs/VIE/39175-VIE-RRP.pdf|title=Proposed Loan and Administration of Loan from Agence Française de Développement: Yen Vien–Lào Cai Railway Upgrading Project|date=November 2006|access-date=2010-06-27|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607083015/http://www.adb.org/Documents/RRPs/VIE/39175-VIE-RRP.pdf|archive-date=2011-06-07}}</ref><ref name="vr-infra">{{cite web|url=http://www.vr.com.vn/English/infra.htm|title=Infrastructure Maintenance and Construction|publisher=Vietnam Railways|access-date=2010-06-24|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414011643/http://www.vr.com.vn/English/infra.htm|archive-date=2010-04-14}}</ref><ref name="jica-bridgerehab">{{cite web|url=http://www.jica.go.jp/english/our_work/evaluation/oda_loan/post/2008/pdf/e_project30_full.pdf|title=Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City Railway Bridge Rehabilitation Project|publisher=Japan International Cooperation Agency|year=2007|access-date=2010-06-30}}</ref>

The overall condition of railway infrastructure in Vietnam varies from poor to fair; most of the network remains in need of rehabilitation and upgrading, having received only temporary repair from damages suffered during decades of war. A joint Japanese-Vietnamese evaluation team found that the poor state of railway infrastructure was the fundamental cause for most railway crashes and derailments, of which the most common types are train collisions involving vehicles and pedestrians, especially at illegal [[level crossings]]; [[derailment]]s caused by failure to decrease speed was also noted as a common cause of collisions.<ref name="jica-bridgerehab" />

=== International railway links ===
;People's Republic of China
Two railways connect Vietnam to the People's Republic of China: the western [[Yunnan–Vietnam Railway]], from [[Haiphong]] to [[Kunming]], and the eastern railway from [[Hanoi]] to [[Nanning]]. The railway into Yunnan is a metre-gauge line, the only such line to operate inside China; it may, however, be [[Gauge conversion|converted]] to standard gauge. Railway service along the Chinese portion of the route is currently suspended. Cross-border service was available until 2002, when floods and landslides, which frequently caused delays along the route,<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/03/travel/this-train-beats-walking-sometimes.html This Train Beats Walking (Sometimes) ''New York Times'', 2000-12-03]</ref> caused serious damage to the tracks on the Chinese side.<ref name="seat61-vn">{{cite web|title=Train travel in Vietnam|url=http://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm|publisher=Seat61|access-date=22 June 2010}}</ref> [[Hanoi–Đồng Đăng Railway]] access to [[Nanning]] is done through the border at [[Đồng Đăng]], in [[Lạng Sơn province]]. Regular service generally entails stopping at the border, changing from a Vietnamese metre-gauge train to a Chinese standard-gauge train, and continuing on to Nanning.<ref name="seat61-vn" />

The Yunnan–Vietnam Railway will form the Chinese part of the Singapore–Kunming Rail Link, which is expected to be completed in 2015.<ref name="aseansec-skrl" />

;Cambodia and Laos
There are currently no railway connections between Vietnam and [[Cambodia]] or [[Laos]]. As part of plans established by [[ASEAN]], however, two new railways are under development: [[Saigon–Lộc Ninh Railway]] connecting [[Ho Chi Minh City]] to [[Phnom Penh]], Cambodia, and one connecting the North–South Railway to [[Thakhek]] in Laos. The Vietnamese portion of the Phnom Penh railway would begin with a junction of the North–South Railway at [[Dĩ An railway station]], and would end in [[Lộc Ninh, Bình Phước|Lộc Ninh]], [[Bình Phước province]], close to the Cambodian border, linking up with a similar project on the Cambodian side. According to the plan established by ASEAN, this stretch is scheduled for completion by 2020; it will form part of the [[Kunming–Singapore railway]] project, overseen by the ASEAN–Mekong Basin Development Cooperation (AMBDC).<ref name="aseansec-skrl">{{cite web|url=http://www.aseansec.org/Fact%20Sheet/AEC/2007-AEC-010.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009205609/http://www.aseansec.org/Fact%20Sheet/AEC/2007-AEC-010.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=October 9, 2007|title=Fact Sheet: The Singapore–Kunming Rail Link Project|publisher=ASEAN|date=2007-09-26|access-date=2011-01-05}}</ref><ref name="pppost">{{cite web|url=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010103144382/Business/china-to-bridge-missing-rail-link.html|title=China to bridge missing rail link|author=Vong Sokheng|date=2010-10-31|access-date=2011-01-05}}</ref> [[Vientiane – Vũng Áng Railway]] would run between [[Vung Ang]], a port in [[Hà Tĩnh province]], to connect with the North–South Railway at [[Tân Ấp railway station]] in [[Quảng Bình province]], then crossing through the [[Mụ Giạ Pass]] towards Thakhek. According to plans established by ASEAN, the line may then be extended via Thakhek all the way to the Laotian capital [[Vientiane]]. Both Laos and Thailand have expressed interest in the project as a shorter export gateway to the Pacific Ocean.<ref name="aseansec-skrl" /><ref name="jdi-mar10">{{Cite web|title=The Study on the Development Plan of Thakek-Vung Ang Gateway between Lao PDR and Vietnam|publisher=Engineering and Consulting Firms Association, Japan Development Institute (JDI)|date=March 2010|url=http://www.ecfa.or.jp/japanese/act-pf_jka/H22/vietnam_vung_ang_jdi.pdf|access-date=2011-01-15|archive-date=2021-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215525/http://www.ecfa.or.jp/japanese/act-pf_jka/H22/vietnam_vung_ang_jdi.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== High-speed rail ===
;North–South Express Railway
{{Main|North–South Express Railway (Vietnam)}}
National railway company [[Vietnam Railways]] has proposed a [[high-speed rail]] link between [[Hanoi]] and [[Ho Chi Minh City]], capable of running at speeds of {{convert|300|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}. Once completed, the high-speed rail line—using Japanese [[Shinkansen]] technology—would allow trains to complete the Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City journey in less than six hours, compared to around 30 hours taken on the existing railway.<ref name="afp-jun2010-highspeed">{{cite news|title=Critics urge brakes on Vietnam's high-speed rail|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jZt1P7ZKoy4cwjdo9y9vSc7-NloA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616163837/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jZt1P7ZKoy4cwjdo9y9vSc7-NloA |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 16, 2010 | agency=AFP |date=2010-06-12|access-date=2011-01-05}}</ref><ref name="nyt-2007-highspeed">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/06/business/worldbusiness/06iht-vietrail.4489612.html|title=High-speed train planned for Vietnam|work=The New York Times|date=2007-02-06|access-date=2011-01-05}}</ref><ref name="na-rejection" /> [[Prime Minister of Vietnam|Vietnamese prime minister]] [[Nguyễn Tấn Dũng]] had originally set an ambitious target, approving a {{convert|1630|km|mi|abbr=on}} line to be completed by 2013, with 70 percent of funding (initially estimated at US$33 billion) coming from Japanese ODA, and the remaining 30 percent raised through loans.<ref name="nyt-2007-highspeed" /> Later reports raised estimated costs to US$56 billion (almost 60 percent of Vietnam's [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] in 2009) for a completion date in the mid-2030s. On June 19, 2010, after a month of deliberation, Vietnam's National Assembly rejected the high speed rail proposal due to its high cost; National Assembly deputies had asked for further study of the project.<ref name="afp-jun2010-highspeed" /><ref name="na-rejection">{{cite news|url=http://english.vietnamnet.vn/politics/201006/National-Assembly-rejects-express-railway-project-917324/|title=National Assembly rejects express railway project|publisher=VietNamNet Bridge|date=2010-06-21|access-date=2010-06-21|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628061127/http://www.english.vietnamnet.vn/politics/201006/National-Assembly-rejects-express-railway-project-917324/|archive-date=2010-06-28}}</ref>

In 2018 a new feasibility study was submitted and based on that the government wants to reconsider the cost-benefit of the project.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Vietnam-revives-58bn-high-speed-rail-project-despite-cost-hurdle|title=Vietnam revives $58bn high-speed rail project despite cost hurdle|website=Nikkei Asian Review}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/vietnam-to-step-back-and-take-relook-at-high-speed-rail-3908743.html|title=Vietnam to step back and take relook at high-speed rail – VnExpress International|last=VnExpress|website=VnExpress International – Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam}}</ref> Plans show the first phase of construction to build sections between Hanoi and Vinh, and simultaneously between Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang both to be finished by 2032 with the entire north–south link to be finished by 2045.<ref>{{Cite web|last=VnExpress|title=Bullet train to connect Hanoi with HCMC in five hours – VnExpress International|url=https://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/industries/bullet-train-to-connect-hanoi-with-hcmc-in-five-hours-3859296.html|access-date=2021-04-16|website=VnExpress International – Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam}}</ref>

;Ho Chi Minh City–Cần Thơ Express Railway
{{Main|Ho Chi Minh City–Cần Thơ Express Railway}}
Another high-speed rail has been proposed to connect Ho Chi Minh City to Southeast Vietnam and [[Cần Thơ]].

=== Metro ===
{{Main|Hanoi Metro|Saigon Metro}}
[[File:Discovery Cầu Giấy.jpg|thumb|218x218px|A view of [[Hanoi Metro Line 3|Hanoi Metro line 3]], which will eventually be extended underground]]
The two biggest cities in Vietnam have operating metro systems.  After years of delays, the Hanoi metro system began operations on November 6, 2021, with [[Hanoi Metro Line 2A|line 2A]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Hose |first=Maria |date=2021-11-09 |title=Vietnam launches country's first metro rail service in Hanoi |url=https://urbantransportnews.com/news/vietnam-launches-countrys-first-metro-rail-services-in-hanoi |work=Urban Transport News |location=Hanoi Vietnam |access-date=2021-11-12}}</ref>  This was followed by the partial opening of [[Hanoi Metro Line 3]] on August 8, 2024. On December 22, 2024, Line 1 of the [[HCMC Metro]] opened to service, which also saw the opening of the country's first underground stations.