However, concerns remain about its profitability, feasibility, and socio-economic impacts. Furthermore, the current deliberations are influenced by geopolitics, as Vietnam weighs potential partnerships This essay adopts a political economy perspective to examine Vietnam’s HSR ambition. It starts by providing a brief overview of the HSR plan and i

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2009.[1] It was approved by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)’s Politburo and Central Committee, the highest decision-making institutions in the one-party state.[2] However, after heated public debates, the National Assembly voted against the project; 37 per cent voted in favour and 41 per cent against, primaril

Vietnam has had to struggle to develop an efficient railway system due to financial and technical constraints. In 2010, then-Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung proposed an ambitious plan to build a 1,500km high-speed rail (HSR) which would connect the two economic centres, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), bringing travelling time down to less than si