Late last month, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong announced the launch of a feasibility study which will explore the possibility of a railway connecting Vientiane with coastal Vung Ang in Ha Tinh province.
The study, funded by the International Cooperation Agency of Korea (KOICA), will review the planning, potential railway site, traffic demand forecast, economic analysis and financial feasibility of the proposed railway, reports Giao Thong.
Over the course of 24 months – the study officially began in December 2015 and will finish in December 2017 – researchers will study the 550-kilometer distance in sections, according to Saigon Times. Members of the research team will begin by reviewing the area between Vung Ang and Thakket, Laos before studying the remaining distance.
If approved and eventually constructed, the transnational railway would be located close to Highways 12 and 13 in Laos and Highway 1A in Vietnam. Its construction would help to promote trade between the two Southeast Asian nations as well as reducing transportation costs.
[Photo via Flickr user Khanh Hmoong]
