First initiated in 2005, a pre-feasibility report of the project was approved in 2009 by a State Appraisal Council astablished given the unprecedented project size.
The report was further improved and submitted to the Prime Minister in February 2019 and in September 2021.
The 1,545km railway is designed at the speed of 320 km per hour, running through 20 cities and provinces, starting from Ha Noi and ending at Ho Chi Minh City's Thu Thiem station.
The railway will be constructed in two phases, with the first two sections (Ha Noi-Vinh and Nha Trang-Ho Chi City with total length of 665km) projected to be put into operation in 2032.
The rest will be built in the second phase and completed by 2050./.