Vietnam
Country Details
Name: Vietnam (Việt Nam), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Language: Vietnamese and English, or French among the older generation and those educated in the former South Vietnam
Currency: đồng (₫) (VND)
National Railway System
National Railway Operator
UIC code
Numeric 32; alpha VN
Timetable
Information is available at the Man in Seat 61.
Journey Planner
Downloadable Timetable
None
Printed Timetable
None
Summary timetables are available in some editions of the European Rail Timetable.
Engineering Information
None known
Maps
Printed Maps
None known
Web-based Maps
Ticketing
To be updated
Infrastructure
Infrastructure Authority
None known
Network Statement
None known
Gauge
The majority of the network is metre gauge.
The lines from Yên Viên (a container transhipment yard north of Hà Nội) to Thái Nguyên and Đồng Đăng (the border with China) are mixed gauge; only freight trains destined for China use the standard gauge.
The line from Kép to Hạ Long is standard gauge, but is out of use since Covid.
Electrification
None known
Rule of the road
Almost the entire network is single track.
Distances
No source known
Other Railways
None
Tourist Lines
None
Metros
Hanoi: 13.1km elevated line 2A from Cat Linh to Yen Nghia opened on 6 November 2021. This is part of a proposed 8 line network, the next section planned to open in July 2024 is an 8.1km elevated part of Line 3 from Hanoi central station to Nhon.
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Two lines are under construction but neither is yet open. The first will be 19.7 km between District 1's Ben Thanh Market and Thu Duc City's Long Thanh Depot that is stated as opening in the fourth quarter of 2024. Further lines are planned.
Trams
None
Recent and Future Changes
Recent Changes
None
Future Changes
A Vietnamese and a Laotian company reported in March 2023 that they have the backing of their respective national governments for a study into the construction of a 555 km railway between the port of Vũng Áng and Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
Obscure and Sparse Passenger Services
None known.
Special Notes
None
