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The Government Office has issued documents No. 3357, 3358 and 3359/VPCP-CN dated 17 April 2026 to convey the opinions of the Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc. The documents direct ministries and localities to implement National Assembly resolutions on investment in several railway projects.
Recently, the Office of the National Assembly notified the opinions of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on the implementation of three National Assembly resolutions: Resolution No. 172/2024/QH15 dated 30 November 2024 on the policy to invest in the North–South high-speed railway project; Resolution No. 187/2025/QH15 dated 19 February 2025 on the policy to invest in the Lao Cai–Hanoi–Hai Phong railway project; and Resolution No. 188/2025/QH15 dated 19 February 2025 on piloting certain mechanisms and policies to develop the urban railway network in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Based on these opinions, the Deputy Prime Minister assigns specific tasks to relevant ministries and localities.
For the North–South High-Speed Rail project, the Deputy Prime Minister assigns the Ministry of Construction to lead, in coordination with other ministries, sectors and localities, to review, amend and supplement legal documents to create a favorable legal framework for developing the rail transport system.
The Deputy Prime Minister also calls for higher responsibility and determination to complete the work on schedule while ensuring quality and efficiency in line with Party and National Assembly resolutions. The goal is to build a nationwide passenger rail network that is cohesive, modern, fast and safe, with clear priorities.
Key requirements include accelerating the investment-preparation phase and ensuring the quality and pace of feasibility study and design reports. The process must be rigorous, with no shortcuts that would compromise technical standards or legal procedures.
The Deputy Prime Minister directs relevant agencies to proactively study and thoroughly assess technology options and investment models, and to select strategic partners for implementation. Agencies must report in a timely manner to competent authorities for consideration, ensuring progress, feasibility, security and national defense considerations, and value for money across the project lifecycle.
A comprehensive set of solutions is required to control progress, focusing on key stages including investment preparation, compensation, support, resettlement, training high-quality human resources, and technology transfer.
Localities within the project scope are tasked with coordinating with the Ministry of Construction and relevant agencies to prepare land and carry out compensation, support and resettlement, with the objective of ensuring stable livelihoods for residents at new locations.
For the Lao Cai–Hanoi–Hai Phong rail project, the Deputy Prime Minister requires the Ministry of Construction to lead, coordinating with other ministries and localities to continue reviewing, amending and completing regulatory documents to create a supportive legal framework for rail transport development.
The project should ensure coherence, modernization and integration with domestic and international rail networks, while safeguarding national defense and environmental protection and addressing climate change. The results are required to be reported to the Prime Minister by 30 June 2026.
The Deputy Prime Minister also calls for accelerating the preparation, appraisal and approval of the feasibility study, ensuring quality and avoiding compromises to technical standards due to schedule pressure.
Agencies are directed to actively study and thoroughly assess options within the technology framework approved by the National Assembly. They must also evaluate the impact of foreign standards and technology on operating and maintenance costs throughout the project’s life to ensure efficiency, feasibility, security and debt-servicing capacity, while maintaining long-term technological independence and autonomy.
Localities within the project scope are required to cooperate with the Ministry of Construction and relevant agencies to speed up compensation, support and resettlement and to ensure stable livelihoods for affected residents. The Deputy Prime Minister also notes that TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) should be prioritized in areas with high potential.
Regarding the pilot of mechanisms to develop the urban rail network in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the Deputy Prime Minister requires the Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Science and Technology, Hanoi People’s Committee and Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to intensify coordination.
They are tasked with promptly assessing feasibility and effectiveness of each pilot mechanism, clarifying advantages and difficulties, and reporting progress in the two-year review of Resolution 188/2025/QH15.
TOD is described as an urban development model centered on transit hubs (such as metro stations or bus rapid transit) with service radii of 400–800 meters. It creates dense areas with housing, offices, commerce and public services to encourage public transport use, reduce congestion and pollution.
The Ministry of Construction and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City authorities are required to review and finalize TOD development mechanisms, especially land-related finance mechanisms, ensuring clear responsibilities, resources, regulatory controls and the use of land value increments.
They must complete technical standards and norms suitable for Vietnam but aligned with international practice by Q2 2026.
Ministries are also directed to oversee the implementation of urban rail lines in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, ensuring network connectivity and improving efficiency of existing lines, while progressively reducing government subsidies. Priority should be given to TOD in high-potential areas connected to dense urban development and efficient land use.
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