Vietnam revives $58bn high-speed rail project despite cost hurdle

Hanoi seeks funding plan for north-south line serving economy and unity

A train passes through downtown Hanoi. Traveling by rail from the Vietnamese capital to Ho Chi Minh City in the south takes more than 30 hours. © Reuters

TOMOYA ONISHI, Nikkei staff writer

January 16, 2019 03:59 JST

HANOI -- Vietnam has resurrected a high-speed rail project intended to link the country's north and south, but the fiscal concerns that killed the proposal earlier this decade continue to haunt government efforts to fund the $58 billion plan.