Expected at the extraordinary National Assembly session opening on February 12, the investment project to build the Lào Cai – Hà Nội – Hải Phòng railway route will be submitted to the Assembly for consideration and decision. This project, once implemented, will contribute to strengthening regional and international connectivity, as well as growth poles, spreading and expanding new development spaces.
In Hải Phòng, the railway line will extend to the Hải Phòng International Gateway Port at Lạch Huyện, with branch lines to port terminals, viewed as a golden opportunity to enhance operational efficiency and affirm Hải Phòng Port’s role as the principal maritime gateway for Northern Vietnam.
Connecting the seaport and economic zone
Right after the Tết Nguyên Đán Ất Tỵ (Year of the Snake) 2025 holiday, the Economic Committee delegation, chaired in coordination with the Ethnic Affairs Council and other National Assembly committees, conducted a field survey of the planned Lạch Huyện port station area to serve the appraisal of the Lào Cai–Hà Nội–Hải Phòng railway investment project. Vũ Hồng Phương, Director of the Railway Project Management Board (Ministry of Transport), shared that the Lào Cai–Hà Nội–Hải Phòng railway line is projected to run through nine provinces/cities, with a total investment length of approximately 403.1 km, including the mainline of 388.1 km and two branches totaling 15 km. The starting point is in Lào Cai city, at the rail border crossing connecting Lào Cai station and Hà Khẩu Bắc station (China), and the endpoint is at Lạch Huyện port (Hải Phòng city). The project’s total estimated investment exceeds USD 8 billion.
In Hải Phòng city, the route includes 46.1 km of mainline and two branches totaling 20.5 km. The mainline runs parallel to the expressway to Nam Hải Phòng station, which serves as a hub for passenger and freight trains. The line then continues to Lạch Huyện port, the terminus. Between Nam Hải Phòng station and Lạch Huyện port station, a railway branch connects to Đình Vũ port, and from this station another branch extends to Nam Đồ Sơn port. Regarding integration, Nam Hải Phòng station will connect with the city’s planned urban railway to collect and disperse passengers to the city center. In scale, the line comprises six stations: Nam Hải Phòng (intermodal for passenger and freight), Tân Viên and Nam Đình Vũ (technical stations), and Nam Đình Vũ, Lạch Huyện port, and Nam Đồ Sơn (intermodal, port-related stations).
According to the Ministry of Transport’s leadership, the investment in the Lào Cai–Hà Nội–Hải Phòng railway is extremely urgent and necessary. The existing railway was built during the French colonial period with a 1,000 mm gauge, whereas modern railways in many countries use the 1,435 mm standard for international intermodal services. In Hải Phòng, the mainline and its branches connect directly to port berths and the coastal Southern Economic Zone. This will allow import-export goods to be transported by rail from Hải Phòng seaport to China, then Europe and back, helping to reduce transportation costs and logistics expenditure.
Golden opportunity for Hải Phòng seaport
According to Nguyễn Minh Sơn, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Economic Committee, the Politburo has approved the investment policy for the Lào Cai–Hà Nội–Hải Phòng railway project. Preparations are being expedited to meet the projected groundbreaking target at the end of 2025, as directed by the Prime Minister. To ensure this deadline, the Economic Committee is working swiftly with the Ministry of Transport and other bodies and localities to finalize project approval procedures.
There is high consensus and eagerness for the rapid implementation of the project. During a recent survey, the municipal People’s Committee reported that on December 4, 2024, the Prime Minister issued Decision 1511/QĐ TTg to establish the Southern Hải Phòng Coastal Economic Zone. Forecasts predict that this area will become highly active in the coming years, featuring a free trade zone, international airport, and deep-water port. However, the project’s pre-feasibility report currently proposes only the branch to Nam Đồ Sơn port—12.6 km long with funding estimated at VND 4.2 trillion—as part of phase 2. Therefore, to meet the transport needs of Nam Đồ Sơn port and the >20,000 ha Southern Coastal Economic Zone, Hải Phòng city requests that the consulting unit adjust the schedule so the section from Nam Hải Phòng station to Nam Đồ Sơn station be executed in phase 1 and completed before 2030. Hải Phòng city stands ready to contribute resources: clearing land for the section within its jurisdiction and investing local budget in the rail branch from Nam Hải Phòng to Nam Đồ Sơn. To allow deeper rail access to the seaport, the city proposes moving the current Lạch Huyện port station to berths 5 and 6 of the Hải Phòng International Gateway Port, facilitating container logistics operations.
Once the Lào Cai–Hà Nội–Hải Phòng railway is in operation, it will open up opportunities for transporting goods from Hải Phòng seaport through key economic areas, economic zones, and industrial zones, reaching northern localities and cross-border into China and extending to Europe and vice versa. The rail line will relieve road traffic, reduce accidents and pollution, and boost freight volume to the city’s seaport at the lowest transport and logistics cost.