Vietnam Ministry Seeks Japan ODA for $1.5B Railway Project in North

The Railway Projects Management Unit under Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport is seeking to borrow official development assistance (ODA) for a VND33.36 trillion ($1.5 billion) railway project in northern Vietnam. The project includes the construction of a 35.7-kilometer railway section linking the Hanoi-Haiphong railway with the Lach Huyen international seaport and a 7.78-km section starting from the Nam Dinh Vu Station and ending the Dinh Vu Industrial Park. The two-phase project is scheduled to be carried out in the 2016-2030 period. Once operational, the railway is expected to handle 30 million tons of cargo per year by 2020 and 95 million tons of cargo in 2030. Japan, the biggest bilateral donor of ODA for Vietnam, has pledged to provide over $21 billion in ODA for Vietnam, primarily in infrastructure development and climate change response. (baodautu.vn Feb 24)