Vietnam’s first light rail results from Belt and Road Initiative

A 13.02-kilometer urban light railway in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, constructed by China Railway Sixth Group, will come into operation next year, Guangming Daily reports.

This is both the first light rail built by Chinese enterprises in Vietnam as well as the first light rail in the country, mainly financed through aUS$650 million loan from China.

The Vietnamese government plans to build a light rail network in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City by 2020.

Tang Hong, manager of the CRSG project, said: “The project, which uses Chinese standards, is of great importance to the modernization of Hanoi’s urban transport system, as well as local economic development. The local inhabitants will enjoy the light rail’s convenience.”

The Hanoi light rail is an important cooperation project between China and Vietnam under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

According to Tang, CRSG is committed to training local workers, and the project is an engineering challenge because of the long rainy seasons, with frequent typhoons and rainstorms.