Vietnam parliament has approved $8b ambitious railway linking northern port city of Haiphong to border town Lao Cai, boosting links with China that strengthened trade ties.
Comprising 240 miles and extending across Hanoi, the 390-kilometer (240-mile) route will travel through key manufacturing centres, such as cities that are home to Samsung, Foxconn and Pegatron (because let’s be real, these are global) [Update: Includes/incorrect numbers for certain location]. Partially funded by Chinese loans, the $17 billion project (the infrastructure comprises around 95% of the Vietnamese National Assembly) is being financed by 95% of the state.
China, Vietnam have had more talks on improving railway corridors, with both equally shop hungry for construction pace. It is in line with China’s Belt and Road infrastructure program and the “Two Corridors, One Belt” initiative of Vietnam. 
The high speed rail will allow trains to go up to 160 kph (100 mph) in theory, tackling Vietnam’s archaic rail infrastructure. They run trains that today cruise at only 50 kph (30 mph) on the colonial railways.
It allows the new railway to resolve bottlenecks in supply chain by replacing expensive and slow truck transportation, a critical source for flowing goods between Vietnam factories and global markets.
With the project, Vietnam hopes to finish it by 2030, but it has been pushed back a few times over the years on larger infrastructure projects. Built on the heels of a massive new $67 billion between Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City high-speed rail linking Vietnam future transport modernisation.
The rail tie serves as a signal of Vietnam trying to swim with the fishes over gross economic ties to China at strategic cost in South China Sea.
