Vice Chairman of the Bac Ninh Provincial People’s Committee Ngo Tan Phuong instructs Song Lieu Commune (Thuan Thanh Town) to promptly propose a location for expanding (or building a new) public cemetery. (Source: Bac Ninh Newspaper)

On the afternoon of June 26, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha chaired an online conference on the implementation of the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway project. At the Bac Ninh location, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Ngo Tan Phuong attended the meeting.

Total investment estimated at nearly 195 trillion VND

The Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway is proposed to have a total length of over 403 km, passing through 9 provinces and cities: Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, and Hai Phong.

Preliminary calculations estimate the total investment for the project at nearly 195 trillion VND (equivalent to more than 8 billion USD).

The section through Bac Ninh province will have a total length of 3,763 meters, occupying approximately 40.54 hectares of land in Tu Son City and Thuan Thanh Town.

In addition, technical infrastructure (electricity, clean water, telecommunications) will need to be relocated, and an environmental impact assessment report will be prepared. The provisional cost for compensation, support, and resettlement is estimated at nearly 1.086 trillion VND.

Vice Chairman of the Bac Ninh Provincial People’s Committee Ngo Tan Phuong requested the project investor to closely coordinate with relevant units to expedite cadastral mapping and documentation to speed up land acquisition and clearance. The provincial Departments of Transport and Agriculture have been assigned as project investors to carry out compensation and land clearance for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section through Bac Ninh.

Bac Ninh implements compensation, support, and resettlement for Lao Cai–Hanoi–Hai Phong Railway

Currently, the investor has prepared, appraised, and approved cost estimates, completed contractor selection for consultancy packages related to survey tasks, design, and feasibility study reports. Consultancy units are being urged to finalize dossiers for appraisal by the Bac Ninh Department of Construction before June 30.

However, the implementation still faces several challenges in compensation and site clearance (no defined boundaries yet; resettlement project procedures pending).

The investor proposed that the Bac Ninh Provincial People’s Committee, relevant departments, and the Railway Project Management Board approve the policy of shortening consultation procedures with agencies, organizations, and local communities; approve detailed planning in parallel with the consultation process to accelerate project progress; provide feedback on the planning of two cemetery expansion areas in Thuan Thanh Town; promptly submit for approval the clearance boundary documents, carry out boundary marking in the field, and hand them over to the investor.

Accelerating land acquisition and clearance

After receiving directives from Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and listening to input from related parties, Vice Chairman Ngo Tan Phuong requested the investor to coordinate closely with relevant units to actively carry out cadastral mapping to accelerate land acquisition and clearance; and work with Tu Son City to speed up resettlement project components.

At the same time, coordinate with the Railway Project Management Board to receive officially approved clearance boundary documents and organize field boundary marking.

Mr. Phuong also agreed to implement a streamlined process for gathering opinions from agencies, organizations, and local communities, conducting detailed planning appraisals in parallel with the consultation process to speed up progress.

The Vice Chairman assigned Song Lieu Commune (Thuan Thanh Town) to promptly propose a location for expanding (or building a new) public cemetery.

Relevant levels and sectors involved in the project must strictly follow Document No. 374 dated June 13, 2025, issued by the Bac Ninh Provincial People’s Committee to ensure compliance with the stipulated timeline.

In mid-February 2025, the National Assembly approved the resolution on the investment policy for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway project.

The project starts at the rail connection point at the border (Lao Cai province) and ends at Lach Huyen Station (Hai Phong), with a total length of nearly 391 km; the branch line length is 27.9 km, passing through nine provinces and cities: Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, and Hai Phong.

The railway will be newly constructed as a single-track line with a 1,435 mm gauge, serving both passenger and freight transport. The design speed is 160 km/h for the main route from the new Lao Cai Station to Nam Hai Phong Station; 120 km/h for the section through Hanoi’s hub area; and 80 km/h for other segments. The project aims to be completed no later than 2030.