High-Speed Train Coming to Vietnam Soon

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VinSpeed High-Speed Railway Investment and Development Joint Stock Company, a unit of Vietnam’s Vingroup conglomerate, has signed a strategic cooperation and technology transfer agreement with Siemens Mobility GmbH to advance high-speed rail development in Vietnam. The accord, agreed in Hanoi on December 17, establishes a framework for technology transfer, design and supply of rail systems, and potential maintenance cooperation between the two firms.

Under the agreement, Siemens Mobility, a subsidiary of Germany’s Siemens AG, is tasked with designing, supplying and integrating high-speed rolling stock and key subsystems including signalling, telecommunications, and power supply infrastructure. The companies also signed a related framework agreement to provide equipment for planned high-speed routes between Hanoi and Quang Ninh in the north and between Ben Thanh in Ho Chi Minh City and Can Gio in the south.

Siemens Mobility is expected to supply Velaro Novo trainsets, the company’s latest high-speed platform designed to operate at speeds up to 350 kilometres per hour. According to public information, the trains feature technical upgrades aimed at higher passenger capacity and reduced energy consumption compared with earlier models, and are equipped with ETCS Level 2 signalling and automatic train operation systems.

The agreement situates VinSpeed within a broader push to develop high-speed rail infrastructure in Vietnam. Earlier in 2025, the company proposed a multibillion-dollar plan to develop the North–South high-speed railway, a project that would span more than 1,500 kilometres and has been estimated to require upwards of US$61 billion in investment. The proposal included plans for technology transfer partnerships and local workforce development.

VinSpeed has also advanced planning for specific lines. A separate proposal released in late 2025 outlined intentions to begin construction on the Hanoi–Quang Ninh line by the end of the year, aiming for commercial operations by early 2028, and to build a high-speed connection between downtown Ho Chi Minh City and Can Gio with a similar timeline.

Vingroup established VinSpeed as part of its infrastructure division to participate in Vietnam’s transport modernisation efforts. Company representatives have publicly framed such initiatives as contributions to national socio-economic development and improvements in domestic transport capacity. Siemens Mobility executives, in turn, have characterised the cooperation as part of broader efforts to bring established high-speed rail technology to emerging markets.

The deals come as Vietnam continues to expand its transport infrastructure, with state and private actors investing in rail, road, and aviation projects to support economic growth targets. Government inclusion of high-speed routes in national plans signals official support for modernising the country’s rail network — though, financing, technical capacity, and regulatory hurdles remain topics of public debate.