Hanoi breaks ground on three rental housing, five urban railway projects

Hanoi breaks ground on three rental housing, five urban railway projects

Hanoi People's Committee has broken ground on three rental housing projects and five urban railway projects, with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung in attendance.

The ceremony took place on June 22 at the main site of the rental housing project in Viet Hung ward, with online connections to sites in Long Bien ward and the Phap Van–Tu Hiep urban area. Tran Duc Thang, Politburo member and Secretary of Hanoi Party Committee, also attended the event.

Launching ceremony of five metro lines and three rental housing projects. Photo: VGP

This is the first time Hanoi has launched five metro lines simultaneously – lines 1, 2, 8, 10 and 14 – with a combined investment exceeding VND1.3 quadrillion ($50 billion), and is regarded as the largest metro investment initiative ever undertaken by the capital, signalling a shift from developing individual lines to building a comprehensive large-scale public transport network and creating new space for urban development.

Among the projects, Metro Line 1 is the largest, stretching about 81km and connecting Hung Vuong Stadium, Ngoc Hoi, Hanoi Railway Station, Yen Vien, Thu Lam multipurpose urban area and Noi Bai International Airport. The line is estimated to require an investment of around VND389.5 trillion ($15.3 billion).

Metro Line 2, with a length of approximately 56.5km, will link Noi Bai International Airport with central Hanoi and Hung Vuong Stadium. The project carries an estimated investment of VND271.7 trillion ($10.6 billion).

Metro Line 8 will span about 91km, including roughly 66 km within Hanoi, connecting Hoa Lac, Mai Dich, Linh Nam, and Duong Xa. Total investment is projected at VND317.4 trillion (12.4 billion).

Metro Line 10 will extend around 43km, linking Co Loa with the city centre via Vo Chi Cong Road, Ring Road 3, and Ring Road 2.5. The line is expected to cost about VND206.8 trillion ($8.1 billion).

Meanwhile, Metro Line 14, approximately 32km long, will connect the Thang Long Bridge area, Hong Ha and Ocean Park, with an estimated investment of VND 129.8 trillion ($5 billion).

Under the Capital Master Plan with a 100-year vision, Hanoi aims to develop a network of 18 urban railway lines with a total length of about 979km. The city targets the completion of roughly 500km of metro lines by 2035 and the full network between 2035 and 2045.

All five new metro lines are scheduled for completion by 2030. Once operational, they will integrate with Metro Line 3 and Line 5, which are currently under development, gradually creating an interconnected public transport network across Hanoi.

At the same time, the city is accelerating construction of Metro Line 3, particularly its underground section, to complete the entire route by the end of 2027. Metro Line 5 is still undergoing design refinement and investment planning in line with government directives.

The simultaneous construction of five metro lines is expected to ease pressure on inner-city traffic but also to stimulate new growth poles, support population redistribution, reshape urban space, and enhance property values along public transport corridors.

If completed on schedule, the scheme will represent a major milestone in Hanoi’s infrastructure development, bringing the Vietnamese capital closer to its ambition of becoming a modern, smart city with one of the region’s leading public transport systems.

VIR