HCMC — Vietnam will establish land clearance steering committees for major railway projects, including the North-South high-speed railway, according to a new directive issued by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, reported the Government news site (baochinhphu.vn).

Localities along the Lao Cai–Hanoi–Haiphong railway must form their committees by May 5. Provinces on the North-South high-speed railway route must do so by July 1. The prime minister called for allocating more resources and personnel, particularly from the Ministry of Construction, to accelerate project implementation. Chinh also instructed ministries and agencies to streamline procedures, diversify funding sources, and propose legislative changes to speed up decentralization and reduce administrative bottlenecks. The Ministry of Construction is tasked with submitting a draft resolution on special mechanisms for railway projects to the Government by May 5, ahead of submission to the National Assembly. The ministry must also complete a list of railway-related goods and services and set criteria for selecting enterprises by June 15. The Ministry of Education and Training will coordinate with the Construction Ministry to finalize a human resources development plan. Both ministries must also select businesses to receive and transfer signaling technology by June. The Ministry of Finance will review 2025 recurrent savings to allocate funds for railway development and finalize a restructuring plan for Vietnam Railways Corporation in June. Other ministries will draft supporting regulations, including rules on temporary forest use during construction and railway technology standards. Hanoi and HCMC authorities must finalize documents to implement a recently passed National Assembly resolution and submit them by mid-May. For the Lao Cai–Hanoi–Haiphong railway, investment procedures must be ready for a December 2025 groundbreaking. Site clearance must be completed this year. For the North-South high-speed railway, construction is scheduled to begin at the end of 2026. The Government also pushed for faster progress on urban rail lines. The Ministry of Finance must submit a funding proposal for Hanoi’s Metro Line 3 by May 5. HCMC must complete procedures to shift Metro Line 2 to public investment by the same date. Local governments were told to resolve regulatory hurdles quickly to maintain project timelines.