This list enumerates railway lines in Vietnam. The Vietnamese railway system is owned and primarily operated by the state-owned Vietnam Railways (), although private railway companies also offer special service to key destinations. Its principal route is the single track North–South Railway line running between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; as of 2007, 85% of the network's passenger volume and 60% of its cargo volume is transported along this line. Besides this one, the system includes lines connecting Hanoi to the People's Republic of China, to surrounding cities such as Thái Nguyên, Hai Phong and Hạ Long.
Most existing Vietnamese railway lines use metre gauge, although standard gauge (used in China) and mixed gauge are used northeast of Hanoi. As of 2005, approximately of track was in use throughout Vietnam— meter gauge, standard gauge and mixed gauge. As of 2005, there were 278 stations on the Vietnamese railway network, 191 of which are located along the North-South Railway line.
New railway lines have been proposed for construction, such as the high-speed North–South express railway connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which would reduce travel times from 30 hours to 6 hours. Other proposals aim to restore or completely rebuild previously existing lines that fell into disuse after the French Indochina War and the Vietnam War, such as the Da Lat–Thap Cham line, which now serves only to ferry tourists between Đà Lạt and the nearby village of Trại Mát. International links to Cambodia and Laos are also under consideration.
Current lines Description Established Length Stations Travel time Gauge North–South railway 1936 191"Các ga trên tuyến đường sắt Thống Nhất" (Railway stations on the North–South Railway), Page 1 –Page 2 30 hrs Check the timetable from Hanoi to Sai Gon (or vice versa) to see journey times. Metre gaugeThe Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City line is the primary railway line serving Vietnam. Trains travelling this line are sometimes referred to as the 'Reunification Express'. This line should not be confused with the proposed North–South express railway (see below).
Major stations Hanoi station (Hanoi) Phủ Lý station (Phủ Lý, Hà Nam Province) Nam Định station (Nam Định, Nam Định Province) Thanh Hóa station (Thanh Hóa, Thanh Hóa Province) Vinh station (Vinh, Nghệ An Province) Tân Ấp station (Tân Ấp, Quảng Bình Province) Đồng Hới station (Đồng Hới, Quảng Bình Province) Đông Hà station (Đông Hà, Quảng Trị Province) Huế station (Huế, Thừa Thiên–Huế Province) Da Nang station (Da Nang) Tam Kỳ station (Tam Kỳ, Quảng Nam Province) Quảng Ngãi station (Quảng Ngãi, Quảng Ngãi Province) Diêu Trì station (Qui Nhơn, Bình Định Province) Tuy Hòa station (Tuy Hòa, Phú Yên Province) Nha Trang station (Nha Trang, Khánh Hòa Province) Bình Thuận station (Phan Thiết, Bình Thuận Province) Saigon station (Ho Chi Minh City) Hanoi–Lào Cai railway 1906 40 10 hrs Metre gaugeThe railway link from Hanoi to Lào Cai was originally built by the French administration of Indochina in the early 20th century, as part of an international railway link between Haiphong and the Chinese city of Kunming.
Major stations Hanoi station (Hanoi) Long Biên station (Hanoi) Gia Lâm station (Hanoi) Yên Viên station (Hanoi) Đông Anh station (Hanoi) Việt Trì station (Việt Trì, Phú Thọ Province) Phú Thọ station (Phú Thọ, Phú Thọ Province) Yên Bái station (Yên Bái, Yên Bái Province) Lào Cai station (Lào Cai, Lào Cai Province) International links Hekou North, China (freight only) Kunming, China (currently suspended) Hanoi–Đồng Đăng railway 1902 23 4.25 hrs Mixed gaugeĐồng Đăng is a station at the Vietnamese border with China, forming a part of the international Hanoi-Nanning rail link. There is direct international passenger service on the line (the Beijing-Nanning-Hanoi Through Train).
Major stations Hanoi station (Hanoi) Long Biên station (Hanoi) Gia Lâm station (Hanoi) Yên Viên station (Hanoi) Bắc Ninh station (Bắc Ninh, Bắc Ninh Province) Bắc Giang station (Bắc Giang, Bắc Giang Province) Kép station (Kép, Bắc Giang Province) Lạng Sơn station (Lạng Sơn, Lạng Sơn Province) Đồng Đăng station (Đồng Đăng, Lạng Sơn Province) International links Nanning, China Beijing, China Kép–Hạ Long railway 1950s 12 4.5 hrs Standard gaugeMajor stations Kép station (Kép, Bắc Giang Province) Lan Mẫu station (Lan Mẫu, Bắc Giang Province) Mạo Khê station (Mạo Khê, Quảng Ninh Province) Uông Bí station (Uông Bí, Quảng Ninh Province) Yên Cư station (Yên Cư, Quảng Ninh Province) Hạ Long station (Hạ Long, Quảng Ninh Province) Bắc Hồng–Văn Điển railway 1982 5 ?? Metre gaugeMajor stations Bắc Hồng station (Hanoi) Văn Điển station (Hanoi) Hanoi–Haiphong railway 1902 18 2.5 hrs Metre gaugeThe railway link from Hanoi to Haiphong was originally built by the French administration of Indochina in the early 20th century, as part of an international railway link between Haiphong and the Chinese city of Kunming.
Major stations Hanoi station (Hanoi) Long Biên station (Hanoi) Gia Lâm station (Hanoi) Hải Dương station (Hải Dương, Hải Dương Province) Hai Phong station (Hai Phong) Hanoi–Thái Nguyên railway 1962 14 3 hrs Mixed gaugeAlso known as the Hanoi-Quan Trieu line or the Dong Anh-Quan Trieu line.
Major stations Hanoi station (Hanoi) Long Biên station (Hanoi) Gia Lâm station (Hanoi) Yên Viên station (Hanoi) Đông Anh station (Hanoi) Lưu Xá station (Thái Nguyên, Thái Nguyên Province) Thái Nguyên station (Thái Nguyên, Thái Nguyên Province) Quán Triều station (Quán Triều, Thái Nguyên Province) Thái Nguyên–Kép 1966 6?Assuming Lưu Xá and Kép stations had already been built prior to 1966. "The First Division had to construct four tunnels, ... four train stations, and several bridges along the Kép-Thái Nguyên [or Ke-Tai, central] line." Col. Hou Zhenlu, quoted in ?? Standard gaugeThe Thái Nguyên–Kép railway line was a strategic, standard-gauge line constructed between October 1965 and December 1966 by a railroad engineering division of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, who operated in North Vietnam repairing railway lines at the request of Ho Chi Minh.
Major stations Lưu Xá station (Thái Nguyên, Thái Nguyên Province) Kép station (Kép, Bắc Giang Province) Phố Lu–Pom Hán railway ?? 2 ?? Metre gaugeAlso called the Pho Lu–Pom Han line. A branch line connected to the Yunnan–Vietnam Railway at Phố Lu, south of Lào Cai, used to carry apatite from the mines located along the line to the fertilizer factory located at Tien Kien. Tien Kien–Bai Bang ?? ?? ?? Metre gauge?A branch line connected to the Yunnan–Vietnam Railway, near Phú Thọ. Da Lat–Trại Mát 1932 2 ?? Metre gaugePart of the rack railway that once connected the towns of Đà Lạt and Tháp Chàm. Since the line's abandonment after the Vietnam War, only a 7 km section remains in use, running from Da Lat station to the nearby village of Trại Mát, operated as a tourist attraction. See Đà Lạt–Tháp Chàm railway below.
Major stations Da Lat station (Đà Lạt) Trại Mát station (Trại Mát) Tien Kien–Lam Thao ?? ?? ?? Metre gaugeA branch line connected to the Yunnan–Vietnam Railway, near Phú Thọ. Originally served a military complex.
Proposed lines Several railway lines have been proposed for construction in Vietnam in recent years. The largest such project is the high-speed North–South express railway connecting Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City, valued at approximately US$56 billion. Due to its cost, plans for the line are currently on hold pending further study of the project. Other projects involve the restoration of previously existing lines, such as the Da Lat–Tháp Chàm line and the Ho Chi Minh City–Lộc Ninh, both of which were originally built in the 1930s, but fell into disuse after decades of war. The Ho Chi Minh City–Loc Ninh line, along with a new Mu Gia–Vung Ang line, would permit new international railway links to Cambodia and Laos, respectively.
The metric lines are able to speeds up to 140km/h (130km/h used in Taiwan metric railways), and 160km/h with pendular trains (done in New Zealand), depending on curve radius and maintenance.
Description Length Gauge North–South express railway Standard gauge Ho Chi Minh City–Cần Thơ express railway Standard gaugeNational railway company Vietnam Railways has proposed a high-speed rail link between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, capable of running at . Funding of the $56 billion line would mainly come from the Vietnamese government; reports suggest Japanese development aid could be made available in stages, conditioned on the adoption of Shinkansen technology. Once completed, the high-speed rail line would allow trains to complete the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City journey in approximately 6 hours. Vietnam's National Assembly rejected the existing plan for the line in June 2010, and asked for further study of the project.
Major stations Hanoi station (Ha Noi) Phủ Lý station (Phủ Lý, Hà Nam Province) Nam Định station (Nam Định, Nam Định Province) Thanh Hóa station (Thanh Hóa, Thanh Hóa Province) Haiphong station (Hai Phong) Vinh station (Vinh, Nghệ An Province) Đồng Hới station (Đồng Hới, Quảng Bình Province) Đông Hà station (Đông Hà, Quảng Trị Province) Huế station (Huế, Thừa Thiên–Huế Province) Da Nang station (Da Nang) Tam Kỳ station (Tam Kỳ, Quảng Nam Province) Quảng Ngãi station (Quảng Ngãi, Quảng Ngãi Province) Dieu Tri station (Qui Nhơn, Bình Định Province) Tuy Hòa station (Tuy Hòa, Phú Yên Province) Nha Trang station (Nha Trang, Khánh Hòa Province) Muong Man station (Phan Thiết, Bình Thuận Province) Saigon station (Ho Chi Minh City) Da Lat–Thap Cham Metre gaugeThe town of Đà Lạt was once connected by a rack railway to the main north-south line at Tháp Chàm. Construction of the line initially began in 1908.Coming around the mountain The Tháp Chàm–Sông Pha section opened in 1919, and the second section, running from Sông Pha to Đà Lạt, opened in 1932.
Since the line's abandonment after the Vietnam War, only a 7 km section remains in use, running from Da Lat station to the nearby village of Trại Mát, operated as a tourist attraction. A proposed renewal project, backed by provincial and local governments, aims to restore the original Đà Lạt–Tháp Chàm railway to handle both passenger and cargo transportation.
Major stations Da Lat station (Đà Lạt) Trại Mát station (Trại Mát) Song Pha Railway Station Tháp Chàm station (Tháp Chàm) Ho Chi Minh City–Vũng Tàu Metre gaugeA new railway line connecting Ho Chi Minh City to Vũng Tàu, a port on the South China Sea, has been proposed. The line would serve both freight and passenger transport.
Major stations Saigon station (Ho Chi Minh City) Biên Hòa station (Biên Hoà) Vũng Tàu station (Vũng Tàu) Dĩ An–Lộc Ninh Railway Metre gaugeIn 1933, a private railroad connecting Lộc Ninh in Bình Phước Province to Ben Dong Xo was opened. The line was connected to the main North–South line in 1937, connecting Loc Ninh to Saigon via Dĩ An. The route from Dĩ An to Lộc Ninh had 17 railway stations. The line was abandoned after 1959, and was dismantled at the conclusion of the Vietnam War. Many portions of the line still exist, although they are largely used by local farmers as access roads to reach their fields; two portions of track near Phu Cuong and Dĩ An have been removed to accommodate urban development.
A proposal to refurbish the line was presented in September 2007. The line would begin with a junction of the North–South Railway at Dĩ An station, and would end in Lộc Ninh, close to the Cambodian border. The railway's cost is estimated at US$438 million. In the same year, the Cambodian Ministry of Transportation announced plans to build a railway line to connect Loc Ninh to Phnom Penh, reportedly with Chinese assistance. The line would be part of the proposed Trans-Asian Railway. So far, the project will consist of 11 stations with the cost of 4,624 million Yuan to be financed by China.
Major stations Saigon station (Ho Chi Minh City) Dĩ An station (Dĩ An) Lộc Ninh station (Lộc Ninh) International links