5 metro lines get off ground in Hanoi

The five urban railway lines have a combined length of some 303.5 kilometers.

The projects are being implemented under an EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contract by a consortium of Vinhomes and VinSpeed.

Accordingly, 81-kilometer-long metro link No. 1 is set to connect Thuong Tin with Noi Bai International Airport through Tam Hung, Thuong Phuc, Dan Hoa, Railway Industrial Zone, Ngoc Hoi, Hanoi Station, Yen Vien, and Thu Lam Multi-purpose Urban Area.

Line No. 2 will stretch 56.5 kilometers, linking Noi Bai International Airport, Tran Hung Dao, Thuong Dinh, Thuong Tin, Tam Hung, Thuong Phuc, and Dan Hoa Commune.

Metro line No. 8, with a length of 91 kilometers, will run from Hoa Lac through Son Dong, Mai Dich, Ring Road No. 3 and Linh Nam to Duong Xa.

Metro line No. 10 will stretch 43 kilometers from Dong Anh through Vo Chi Cong Street, Ring Road No. 3, Ring Road 2.5 and Times City Urban Area to Dong Anh.

Metro line No. 14 will run from Thang Long Bridge though Hong Ha to Gia Lam, with a length of some 32 kilometers.

The municipal administration said the metro system is being developed under a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) model, integrating transport infrastructure with urban planning.

The approach is intended to create new economic hubs along rail corridors while optimizing land use and expanding the capital’s development space.

Hanoi aims to complete all five metro lines by 2030, with full connection with existing lines.

The Vietnamese capital currently has two metro lines in operation, including Cat Linh - Ha Dong metro line and the elevated section of Nhon - Hanoi Station metro line.

According to the capital’s 100-year master planning vision, the city is set to develop a metro network comprising 18 urban railway lines with a total length of some 979 kilometers.

Major housing-for-rent program launched

The city also broke ground on three rental housing projects totaling more than 8,000 apartments, with combined investment exceeding VND30 trillion ($1.14 billion).

Two of the projects are funded by public resources to build rental housing stock, while the third is a large private-sector initiative.

One of them will be located in Yen So Ward, featuring 1,176 apartments, while the other will be built in Viet Hung Ward, providing 1,166 apartments.

Meanwhile, Him Lam Corporation actively proposed converting an IT park into the Him Lam Long Bien mixed-use residential complex, which will cover over 11 hectares and is planned for around 6,000 apartments.

One of Hanoi’s largest-ever infrastructure investment programs

Speaking at the ceremony, attended by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, Hanoi chairman Vu Dai Thang described the combined metro and housing initiative as one of Hanoi’s largest-ever infrastructure and social development programs, signaling the start of a new long-term development phase.

The groundbreaking of the five urban railway lines is Hanoi’s largest-ever metro investment program.

It is also one of the biggest urban infrastructure investment programs to be implemented simultaneously in Vietnam.

“We expect and trust that the consortium will fully leverage its capabilities and experience, mobilize maximum resources, and implement the projects on schedule, ensuring quality, safety, and efficiency,” he said.

To prepare for large-scale metro construction, the consortium has already conducted preliminary surveys and placed significant orders for tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and related equipment.

The contractor has also acquired machinery for diaphragm wall construction, expanded its fleet of bored piling rigs, and scaled up transportation capacity with thousands of additional vehicles for soil and spoil removal.

Design work is being developed in collaboration with international consultants from Europe, Japan, South Korea, and China, alongside experienced global tunneling contractors specializing in TBM operations.

VinSpeed, a high-speed rail investment and development company under Vingroup, is currently the investor of Vietnam’s first two high-speed rail lines, including Ben Thanh - Can Gio in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi - Quang Ninh in northern Vietnam.