North-South Railway, Vietnam
Encyclopedia
The Vietnam North-South Railway, also known as the Reunification Express, is a railway that runs from Ha Noi to Ho Chi Minh City
. The total length of this railway is 1726 km (1,072.5 mi), with a gauge of metre gauge
. The railway passes following provinces
: Ha Noi, Ha Nam, Nam Đinh, Ninh Binh
, Thanh Hoa
, Nghe An, Ha Tinh
, Quang Binh, Quang Tri
, Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang
, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa
, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Dong Nai, Binh Dương, Ho Chi Minh City
. The railway serpents the coastline of Vietnam, through several beautiful landscapes of Vietnam such as Hai Van Pass
, Lanco Peninsular, Van Phong Bay.
This railway holds the world's record for being the railway on which the speed of the trains is slowest. The highest speed that the trains of Vietnam Railways Corporation have reached on this line so far is 30 hours from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi or vice versa. The railway is crossed by many roads in several crowded areas. Many accidents between trains and vehicles have happened. This railway is under the management and owed by Vietnam Railways Corporation.
s as part of railway network in French Indochina
. On 2 October 1936, the Hanoi-Saigon Railway with 1726 km (1,072.5 mi) of metre gauge
track was officially inaugurated by the French colonists.
In 1954, following the signature of Geneva Accords
, Vietnam was temporarily divided into two parts: the communist North and anti-communist South. This railway was bisected accordingly at Hien Luong Bridge
. During Vietnam War
, this railway was a target of bombardments and explosion by North Vietnam
and South Vietnam
.
After the Fall of Saigon
on 30 April 1975, Vietnam was united and so was the railway. On 31 December 1976, the severely war-torn railway was fully restored and put into operation.
in Vietnam to Bat Doeng
in Cambodia
.
On 1 January 2002, Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai approved a "Master Plan for Vietnam's railway towards 2020" to improve this railway which an important part of capital loaned by Japan
ese ODA
. The total estimated investment capital for this mega project
is expected US $32,000 million. Japanese companies will be given priority in being the contractors for this project. Japan has sent a research commission to Vietnam to carry our topographical and geographical survey. Japanese shinkansen
express bullet train has been suggested to be used for this new railway. Once completed, the North-South Railway will have 2 parallel standard gauge
tracks, not directly crossed by the roads and will allow trains to run at a speed of 300 km/h (186 mph). The pre-feasibility study is underway. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered the Minister of Transportation of Vietnam to shorten the completion duration of this railway construction from 15 years to 9 years. If connected to the Chinese railway, this would allow through operations for freight without the need for a break-of-gauge
.
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
. The total length of this railway is 1726 km (1,072.5 mi), with a gauge of metre gauge
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
. The railway passes following provinces
Provinces of Vietnam
Vietnam is divided into 58 provinces and five centrally governed cities existing at the same level as provinces ....
: Ha Noi, Ha Nam, Nam Đinh, Ninh Binh
Ninh Bình
Ninh Bình is a city in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. It is the capital of Ninh Binh province.-Geography:Ninh Binh city located in the southernmost plains north Vietnam...
, Thanh Hoa
Thanh Hóa
Thanh Hóa is the capital city of Vietnam's Thanh Hoa province. The population is nearly 200,000 with an area of only 57.9 square kilometers....
, Nghe An, Ha Tinh
Ha Tinh
Hà Tĩnh is a city in Vietnam. It is the capital of the Ha Tinh province, in Vietnam's north central coast....
, Quang Binh, Quang Tri
Quang Tri
Quảng Trị is a town district of Quang Tri province in the North Central Coastal region of Vietnam. Significantly, it was the only South Vietnamese provincial capital to be captured by the North Vietnamese forces for a limited period in the 1972 offensive....
, Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa
Khánh Hòa
Khánh Hòa may refer to a number of places in Vietnam:*Khanh Hoa Province*Khánh Hòa, An Giang - a commune of An Giang Province...
, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Dong Nai, Binh Dương, Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
. The railway serpents the coastline of Vietnam, through several beautiful landscapes of Vietnam such as Hai Van Pass
Hai Van Pass
The Hải Vân Pass , is an approximately 2 mile long mountain pass on National Road 1A in Vietnam. It traverses a spur of the larger Annamite Range that juts into the South China Sea, on the border of Đà Nẵng and Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, near Bach Ma National Park. Its name refers to the mists that...
, Lanco Peninsular, Van Phong Bay.
This railway holds the world's record for being the railway on which the speed of the trains is slowest. The highest speed that the trains of Vietnam Railways Corporation have reached on this line so far is 30 hours from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi or vice versa. The railway is crossed by many roads in several crowded areas. Many accidents between trains and vehicles have happened. This railway is under the management and owed by Vietnam Railways Corporation.
History
This railway was constructed by the French colonistFrench colonial empire
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
s as part of railway network in French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
. On 2 October 1936, the Hanoi-Saigon Railway with 1726 km (1,072.5 mi) of metre gauge
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
track was officially inaugurated by the French colonists.
In 1954, following the signature of Geneva Accords
Geneva Conference (1954)
The Geneva Conference was a conference which took place in Geneva, Switzerland, whose purpose was to attempt to find a way to unify Korea and discuss the possibility of restoring peace in Indochina...
, Vietnam was temporarily divided into two parts: the communist North and anti-communist South. This railway was bisected accordingly at Hien Luong Bridge
Hien Luong Bridge
Hien Luong Bridge is a bridge over Ben Hai River, Vĩnh Linh District, Quang Tri Province, Bắc Trung Bộ, Việt Nam. This bridge is located in 17th Parallel and in Vietnam War, it was bisected between South Vietnam and North Vietnam....
. During Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, this railway was a target of bombardments and explosion by North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
and South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
.
After the Fall of Saigon
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
on 30 April 1975, Vietnam was united and so was the railway. On 31 December 1976, the severely war-torn railway was fully restored and put into operation.
Major stations
The followings are major railway stations on North-South Railway from Hanoi to Saigon:- Hanoi Railway StationHanoi Railway StationHanoi Railway Station is one of the main railway stations on the North-South Railway in Vietnam. It serves the city of Hanoi. The station is located at 120 Le Duan Street, Cua Nam Ward, Hoan Kiem District of Hanoi and is the starting point of five railway lines leading to almost every Vietnamese...
(Ha Noi) - Phu Ly Railway StationPhu Ly Railway StationPhu Ly Railway Station is one of the main railway stations on the North-South Railway in Vietnam. It serves the city of Phu Ly....
- Nam Dinh Railway StationNam Dinh Railway StationNam Dinh Railway Station is one of the main railway stations on the North-South Railway in Vietnam. It serves the city of Nam Dinh....
- Thanh Hoa Railway StationThanh Hoa Railway StationThanh Hoa Railway Station is one of the main railway stations on the North-South Railway in Vietnam. It serves the city of Thanh Hoa....
- Vinh Railway StationVinh Railway StationVinh Railway Station is one of the main railway stations on the North-South Railway in Vietnam. It serves the city of Vinh....
(VinhVinhVinh is a city in Vietnam. It is located in the northern half of the country, and is the capital of Nghệ An Province. Politically, Vinh is a municipality within Nghệ An Province. On September 5th, 2008, it was upgraded from Grade-II city to Grade-I city, the fourth Grade-I city of Vietnam after...
city in Nghe An Province) - Dong Hoi Railway StationDong Hoi Railway StationDong Hoi Railway Station is one of the main railway stations on the North-South Railway in Vietnam. It serves the city of Đồng Hới, the provincial capital of Quang Binh Province. The station is 450 km south of Hanoi, 160 km north of Huế, 1280 km north of Saigon Railway Station.The...
(Dong HoiDong HoiĐồng Hới is the capital city of Quang Binh province, in the north central coast of Vietnam. The city’s area is , population as per the 2009 census: 108,526. Urban area is 55.47 km², urban population was 71,620; Suburban area is 100.24 square kilometers, suburban population was 36,906...
city, Quang Binh ProvinceQuang Binh ProvinceQuảng Bình , formerly Tiên Bình under the reign of Le Trung Hung of the Lê Dynasty, this province was renamed Quảng Bình in 1604) is a province in the North Central Coast of Vietnam....
) - Dong Ha Railway StationDong Ha Railway StationDong Ha Railway Station is one of the main railway stations on the North-South Railway in Vietnam. It serves the city of Dong Ha....
(Dong HaDong HaĐông Hà is the capital town of Quang Tri province, Vietnam. It is located at around . Dong Ha is situated at the crossroads of National Highway 1A and Route 9, part of the East-West Economic Corridor . It lies on the Reunification Express Railway and is served by Dong Ha Railway Station...
town in Quang Tri ProvinceQuang Tri ProvinceQuảng Trị is a province on the North Central Coast of Vietnam, north of the former imperial capital of Huế.-Geography:Located in North Central Vietnam, Quang Tri Province is surrounded by Quang Binh Province on the north, Thua Thien-Hue Province on the south, Savannakhet Province of Laos on the...
) - Hue Railway StationHue Railway StationHue Railway Station is a railway station in the city of Huế, Vietnam. Street address is 2 Bui Thi Xuan Street, Hue, Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam. The station was built by the French colonists during French Indochina period. The station is influenced by French architecture and is today...
(HuếHueHue is one of the main properties of a color, defined technically , as "the degree to which a stimulus can be describedas similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow,"...
city in Thừa Thiên-Huế ProvinceThua Thien-Hue ProvinceThừa Thiên-Huế is a province in the North Central Coast of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quang Tri Provice to the north and Da Nang City to the south, Laos to the west and the South China Sea to the east. The province has 128 km of coastline, 22,000 ha of... - Da Nang Railway StationDa Nang Railway StationDa Nang Railway Station is one of the main railway stations on the North-South Railway in Vietnam. It serves the city of Da Nang....
(Da NangDa NangĐà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
) - Tam Ky Railway StationTam Ky Railway StationTam Ky Railway Station is one of the main railway stations on the North-South Railway in Vietnam. It serves the city of Tam Ky....
- Quang Ngai Railway StationQuang Ngai Railway StationQuang Ngai Railway Station is one of the main railway stations on the North-South Railway in Vietnam. It serves the city of Quang Ngai, lying 1.5 kilometres west of the main centre.-References:...
- Dieu Tri Railway Station
- Tuy Hoa Railway StationTuy Hoa Railway StationTuy Hoa Railway Station is one of the main railway stations on the North-South Railway in Vietnam. It serves the city of Tuy Hoa ....
- Nha Trang Railway StationNha Trang Railway StationNha Trang Railway Station is one of the main railway stations on the North-South Railway in Vietnam. It serves the city of Nha Trang....
(Nha TrangNha TrangNha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khanh Hoa province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the North by Ninh Hoà district, on the East by the South China Sea, on the South by Cam Ranh town and on the West by Diên Khánh district...
) - Muong Man Railway StationMuong Man Railway StationMuong Man Railway Station is one of the main railway stations on the North-South Railway in Vietnam. It serves the city of Phan Thiet. Phan Thiet has its own railway station, but it is not located on the main North South Railway. It is connected to the main railway line through Muong Man Station...
(Phan ThietPhan ThiếtPhan Thiết town is the capital of Binh Thuan province, in southeastern Vietnam. Phan Thiet is a municipality in central, south central sector, however, the development plan to 2025, it would be municipality Southeast Vietnam. The population of Phan Thiết city in 2005 is roughly 350,000 and is...
) - Saigon Railway StationSaigon Railway StationSaigon Railway Station is a railway station in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This station is the largest and most important railroad transportation hub of Vietnam as Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city and the economic center of Vietnam. The station was constructed in early 1930s by the...
(Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
)
Proposed
In 2009, a Chinese company started a feasibility study into a 255 km (158.5 mi) link from Loc NinhLoc Ninh
Lộc Ninh is a town in southern Vietnam. It is a rural district of Binh Phuoc province in the southeastern region of Vietnam. A major battle, the Battle of Loc Ninh, occurred there during the Vietnam War.-Transport:...
in Vietnam to Bat Doeng
Bat Doeng
- Transport :It is served by a station on the national railway network.Bat Doeng is the proposed site for the junction of a new railway connecting Cambodia with Vietnam at Loc Ninh....
in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
.
Improvement plan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese ODA
ODA
*ODA or Oda may refer to:*Oda , a typical Albanian room*Oda , is a room within harem especially in the Ottoman Empire- Computing :* Open Data Center Alliance - Data Center and Cloud Infrastructure Standards...
. The total estimated investment capital for this mega project
North-South Express Railway (Vietnam)
North-South Express Railway is a proposed express railway in Vietnam. The line would begin in Hanoi, crossing provinces and municipalities of Hà Nội, Hà Tây, Hà Nam, Ninh Bình, Thanh Hoá, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị, Thừa Thiên-Huế, Đà Nẵng, Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Phú Yên,...
is expected US $32,000 million. Japanese companies will be given priority in being the contractors for this project. Japan has sent a research commission to Vietnam to carry our topographical and geographical survey. Japanese shinkansen
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
express bullet train has been suggested to be used for this new railway. Once completed, the North-South Railway will have 2 parallel standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
tracks, not directly crossed by the roads and will allow trains to run at a speed of 300 km/h (186 mph). The pre-feasibility study is underway. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered the Minister of Transportation of Vietnam to shorten the completion duration of this railway construction from 15 years to 9 years. If connected to the Chinese railway, this would allow through operations for freight without the need for a break-of-gauge
Break-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
.