The Vietnamese government has approved a project worth €63.7 billion (US$67 billion) to build a north-south high-speed rail (HSR) line. The line is expected to cut the journey time from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City from 35 hours to less than six hours. The construction of the north-south HSR line with a maximum design speed of 350 km/h will require the resettlement of 120,000 people, the clearing of protected forests, and the destruction of rice paddies, as discussed by the Vietnamese National Assembly. The line will stretch more than 1,500 km from the capital in the north to the country's economic centre in the south. It will cross 20 provinces and cities, with 23 passenger stations and five freight stations. Construction could begin in 2027 and is scheduled for completion in 2035. The project has been the subject of 18 years of studies.
