Hi fpolks,

Please who me allabotu VIetnam railway ... including the locos
[both historical locos and currently commissioned locs], the stations,
the checkpoints at Chiense Border the info such as the routes, the axle load
or so .... and latest news to be posted here

What means allabotu (?_?)

Think i can help...

Railroads system map: Very old,simple system with Hanoi as the only one big hub.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/saigon_punkid/railroads.jpg
(map from lib.utexas.edu)

First locomotive in Vietnam:
http://www.vr.com.vn/120namds/trang23.jpg

More historical pics: http://www.vr.com.vn/120namds/120namdsvn.asp

Wagons:

"A" wagon (seats only)

http://www.vr.com.vn/Cacdonvi/Congnghiep/Haiphong/Trang16-ToangoimemA304%20-%201.jpg

Inside
http://www.vnn.vn/dataimages/original/images409225_tau3.jpg

"B" wagon: (cabins)

http://www.vr.com.vn/Cacdonvi/Congnghiep/Dian/anh/xenguDH(Bn).jpg

Double-decks:

http://www.vr.com.vn/Cacdonvi/Congnghiep/Dian/anh/xengoi2tangDH.jpg

http://www.vr.com.vn/Cacdonvi/Congnghiep/Haiphong/Trang10-toxe2tangA2T.jpg

New rapid wagon:

http://dsvn1.dyndns.biz/Internet/cty-xeluagialam/toaxe.jpg

Locomotives:

Diesel locos:

In display:
http://www.waterlogic.com.au/theintercityplatform/asia/dalat/dalat-d6h_d4h.jpg

Hanoi-Saigon express:

http://www.vnn.vn/dataimages/original/images409099_tau01011204.jpg

http://www.waterlogic.com.au/theintercityplatform/asia/saigon/ga_saigon-d9e216_arrival.jpg

DMU locos:

http://www.vr.com.vn/cty-xeluagialam/anh7.jpg

Historic locos:

Service in Dalat:

http://www.lamdong.gov.vn/cdrom/dulich/K_truc/images/tauhn2.jpg

Stay monumental in Saigon:

http://www.waterlogic.com.au/theintercityplatform/asia/saigon/141-158.jpg

:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

NOT very bad photo and map :lol:
How about the checkpoint at Lao Cai station and Lan Son station ...

magnificient!

Victoria Express,Tulico Train
and Royal Train to Lao Cai

http://hotelvietnamonline.com/sapa/localtrain/carriage.jpghttp://www.vietnamstay.com/hotel/victoriasapa/victoridin.jpghttp://www.vietnamstay.com/hotel/victoriasapa/victoex.jpg

http://hotelvietnamonline.com/sapa/localtrain/berth.jpghttp://hotelvietnamonline.com/sapa/localtrain/rattraco.jpghttp://www.vietnamstay.com/hotel/victoriasapa/victoex3.jpghttp://www.vietnamstay.com/service/tulicotrain.jpg
http://www.vietnamstay.com/service/VIPcabin-tulico.jpg


Sapa!!! (Lao Cai)
http://www.victoriahotels-asia.com/picture_gallery/sapa/hd/p-gallsp03.jpg

Local trains:

http://web.archive.org/web/20050616063344/http://www.geocities.com/mr_shawn_naylor/asian_rails/vietnam/vietnam184.jpg

http://web.archive.org/web/20050616063344/http://www.geocities.com/mr_shawn_naylor/asian_rails/vietnam/vietnam142.jpg

http://web.archive.org/web/20050616063344/http://www.geocities.com/mr_shawn_naylor/asian_rails/vietnam/vietnam66.jpg

More obsolete locos:

http://web.archive.org/web/20050616063344/http://www.geocities.com/mr_shawn_naylor/asian_rails/vietnam/vietnam37.jpg

http://web.archive.org/web/20050616063344/http://www.geocities.com/mr_shawn_naylor/asian_rails/vietnam/vietnam52.jpg

Cargo trains:

http://web.archive.org/web/20050616063344/http://www.geocities.com/mr_shawn_naylor/asian_rails/vietnam/vietnam70.jpg

Very modern monorail projects:
http://www.kevinandnhan.com/images/dectrip/015/12-15_0058.jpg

http://www.damsenpark.com.vn/Wallpaper/wallpaper_24.jpg

That's almost everything!!

wow...I didn´t know that there are some very luxury train too.
So the service of old ugly train which we can see in so many films are over?
Do you have some photos of the train which Vietnam bought from germans Siemens?

Hmm...isn´t there a project which should link New Dehli and Hanoi by a new railway?
And will the Ga/Station of Hanoi or in other cities be upgraded? Because in 2001 there wasn´t really an acceptable station when I drove with the train throught Vietnam.

Khun TQ,

I would like to remind you that India Railway Genberally use Broad gauge [1.676 meter]while Vietnam Railway use Meter gauge .... Therefore, ther must be gaug brakign point at Burma or so ...

China uses 1435mm gauge (world's standard).
Vietnam uses both 1435 and 1000mm gauge.

So some rails on Hanoi-Guilin line would look like this:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/saigon_punkid/rails.bmp
(picture not to scale)

The track on the Vietnamese side at Langson to the border is narrow gauge.

Here is an interesting site about Vietnam railways:

http://seat61.com/Vietnam.htm

It says that the service from Hanoi to Kunming (the branch N of Sapa on the map) has been suspended for almost three years now.

..

..

the Thong Nhat train (north-south) is really horrible!! just been in there once and nv want to get my foot inside anymore!! in contrast,the double deck train from saigon - nhatrang is really nice and comfortable,even equipped A/C.

Depends on which service u choose, chinatown...

the exterior designs look so UGLY :(
how come there is an article on VnEXpress Claims that "VietNam to have the most beautiful train in the world" (http://vnexpress.net/Vietnam/Xa-hoi/2007/02/3B9F30CA/)<-- no matter how positive i am, i dont believe this :lol:
i think most beuatiful trains in the world in order are: France - Japan - America

say something!!

I think the article says that the Lao Cai-Hanoi railways is beautiful because of all the landscape/sceneries?

Anaesthetically, you can't compare modern trains such as the stunning Shanghai maglevs with those old trains on the Alps, so it's hard to tell what the most beautiful train" in the world is?

vietnma now still only has 1 rail track left by the french can you believe it?

so 2 trains cannot run parallel at the sametime....but they have to wait for one another to pass before one can continue running

yeah even the Vietnam newpaper in VN admited Vn railway track is only 1meter compare to the world standard 1.45.

..

I guess its about the interior of the train, like the victoria train on hanoi-lao cai route, very classy interior and expensive fare of course. Nway railway is the most horrible means of public transport in VN

..

Train Ride from Saigon to Nha Trang

:banana: :banana:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-150132925007483515&q=vietnam+train&hl=en

You gay gonna get high speed train soon ha

You gay gonna get high speed train soon ha

Yeah, Vietnam plans to invest $33 Billion to build high speed train from Hanoi to HCM City (Saigon).

:banana: :banana:

You gay gonna get high speed train soon ha

I hope this is a typo......because the shemale district in bangkok will not happy to hear this

http://vietnamnet.vn/kinhte/2007/04/681932/

they're following shinkansen standard.

Cập nhật lúc 10h57, ngày 07/04/2007

Công bố kế hoạch chi tiết xây dựng đường sắt cao tốc Hà Nội -TP.HCM

Ngày 6/4, lần đầu tiên Tổng Cty Đường sắt VN công bố kế hoạch chi tiết xây dựng đường sắt cao tốc HN-TP.HCM trong Hội thảo hiện đại hoá, cao tốc hóa đường sắt Bắc Nam tại VN với phía Nhật Bản tại HN.

Một chuyến tàu cao tốc chạy TP.HCM-Hà Nội 10 tiếng đồng hồ không phải quá xa vời...

http://www.ktdt.com.vn/newsdetail.asp?NewsId=8968&CatId=48

BTW, which section of Vietnam Railways which has been doubel tracked ...

Before comign up with Highspeed, you better done massive doube tyracking of the main trunk lines though

The High Speed Train of Vietnam is now cost Overrrun - up from 33 billion US$ to 55.8 Billion US$. It has to come up with the new route to shorten the distance form the existing 1726 km to 1,550 km with 27 stations including

1. Hà Nội (km 0)
2. Nam Định (km 87 of the old route)
3. Thanh Hóa (km 175 of the old route)
4. Vinh (km 319 of the old route = km 291 of the new route)
5. Đồng Hới (km 522 of the old route)
6. Đông Hà (km 622 of the old route)
7. Huế (km 688 of the old route)
8. Đà Nẵng (km 791 of the old route)
9. Tam Kỳ (km 865 of the old route)
10. Quảng Ngãi (km 928 of the old route)
11. Diêu Trì (km 1096 of the old route)
12. Nha Trang (km 1315 of the old route = km 1111 of the new route)
13. Tháp Chàm (km 1408 of the old route)
13. Biên Hòa (km 1697 of the old route)
14. Sài Gòn (km 1726 of the old route = km 1550 of the new route)

however, the land exappropriation of 4,170 Hectar is in need - adding the cost to 55.7 billion US$

Note: Any Vietnamese who knoe the list of 27 stations along with the km of the High Speed train station, please tive me an information NOW!
http://www.manager.co.th/IndoChina/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9520000015510

I hope this is a typo......because the shemale district in bangkok will not happy to hear this

No,seriously I will happy with Vietnam for the high speed train. I'm waiting to see it happen in my country as well.

:)

Thang nay ^^ con chau nha ho Long day ma.

So will Vietnam change its' track from narrow gauge tracks to standard gauge track to accomodate the Shinkansen? Or are threre plans to modify the Shinkansen?

So will Vietnam change its' track from narrow gauge tracks to standard gauge track to accomodate the Shinkansen? Or are threre plans to modify the Shinkansen?

Buldign up a new dedicated line since the distance has been shorten from 1726 km to 1555 km.

^^ I read that the whole high speed rail project is now sheduled to be finished in 2035 (10 years later) some days ago, but couldn't find the link anymore.
Anyone got more infos?

Hey, I have NOT gotten any updated news abotu Vietnam Railway yet .. plce drop[ the updated news here:

Có mấy dự án ở đường sắt nội thành Hà Nội, TPHCM, dự án đường sắt cao tốc Bắc Nam, HCM_Cần Thơ, HCM_Vũng Tàu, Hà Nội_Hải Phòng...

Phát triển đường sắt tốc độ cao
( SHINKANSEN)

Theo tin của Bloomberg, Việt Nam có kế hoạch xây dựng tuyến đường sắt tốc độ cao đầu tiên của Đông Nam Á, có thể sẽ chọn tập đoàn Sumitomo cùng Mitsubishi hoặc liên doanh Itochu cùng Kawasaki thực hiện gói thầu trị giá lên đến 56 tỷ USD.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/assets/images/2010/02/09/100209131314_bullettrain512.jpg

Trong một cuộc phỏng vấn, tổng giám đốc Tổng Công ty Đường sắt Việt Nam Nguyễn Hữu Bằng giải thích xu hướng chọn kỹ thuật Nhật Bản vì Việt Nam "có điều kiện địa lý giống Nhật Bản, cùng thiếu đất và đông dân, bờ biển dài".

Việt Nam dự định sẽ ra quyết định trong vòng một năm để lên kế hoạch xây dựng tuyến đường sắt mới dài trên 1.500km nối Hà Nội và Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, trong bối cảnh tuyến đường sắt vốn xây dựng từ thời Pháp thuộc, nay đã không còn đủ sức đáp ứng nhu cầu phát triển với tốc độ trung bình 7,3% năm trong vòng một thập niên qua.

Ông Bằng nói nhiều khả năng Đường sắt Việt Nam sẽ chọn liên doanh Sumitomi và Mitsubishi với trụ sở ở Tokyo, hoặc là liên doanh Itochu và Kawasaki với trụ sở ở Osaka và Kobe, vì họ đang vận hành các hệ thống đường sắt giống như sẽ được xây dựng ở Việt Nam.

Cũng theo tin thì Viện nghiên cứu Nomura sẽ giúp khảo sát cơ bản, và Bộ kinh tế, thương mại và công nghiệp Nhật Bản sẽ tài trợ nghiên cứu khả thi, dự kiến bắt đầu từ tháng Sáu tới đây.

"Nếu muốn phát triển đất nước thì trước hết phải phát triển cơ sở hạ tầng," ông Bằng nói với phóng viên Bloomberg. "Đường sắt sẽ giữ một vai trò rất quan trọng trong việc nối kết hai miền nam và bắc Việt Nam."

Từ đầu năm 2002, thủ tướng chính phủ Việt Nam đã lên quy hoạch phát triển cơ sở hạ tầng Đường sắt Việt Nam đến năm 2020, với trên 74.500 tỷ đồng cho mười năm tới, trong đó có trên 20.000 tỷ cho đường sắt Bắc Nam, vừa nâng cấp vừa xây mới, theo văn bản được trích đăng trên trang mạng của Đường sắt Việt Nam.

Theo kế hoạch được ông Bằng giới thiệu, tuyến đường mới sẽ được khởi công trong năm 2012 và bắt đầu khai thác từ năm 2020, và nguồn ngân sách sẽ lấy từ các nguồn viện trợ phát triển nước ngoài, ngân sách chính phủ và các liên doanh nhà nước lẫn tư nhân.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/assets/images/2010/02/09/100209131321_train226.jpg

Cũng theo ông Bằng, thì khi đó giá vé xe lửa cao tốc sẽ bằng khoảng ba phần tư giá vé máy bay như hiện nay.

Lượng hành khách đi xe lửa giảm 2,6% xuống còn 11 triệu trong năm ngoái, còn hành khách đi máy bay tăng 4,2% lên thành 10,97 triệu, theo số liệu của Tổng cục thống kê.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/2010/02/100209_bullet_train.shtml

Ưu tiên đầu tư đường sắt cao tốc TP.HCM - Nha Trang

11/02/2010 9:19

(TNO) Theo tin từ Văn phòng UBND TP.HCM ngày 11.2, UBND TP vừa trình HĐND TP hồ sơ Dự án đầu tư xây dựng đường sắt cao tốc Hà Nội - TP.HCM.

Theo đó, để thu hút nguồn vốn dự án hiệu quả và khả thi, UBND TP đề nghị HĐND TP trong giai đoạn từ nay đến năm 2020, TP.HCM chỉ ưu tiên đầu tư những đoạn ngắn có khả năng cạnh tranh cao so với đường hàng không trong khoảng cách cạnh tranh lý tưởng 300 - 700km của đường sắt cao tốc, trong đó có đoạn TP.HCM - Nha Trang.

Theo đánh giá của UBND TP.HCM, việc chọn ga Hòa Hưng làm ga khách cuối tuyến của đường sắt cao tốc khó có tính khả thi khi triển khai dự án vì sẽ phá vỡ quy hoạch kiến trúc cảnh quan đô thị, chi phí giải phóng mặt bằng rất cao, mật độ giao thông khu vực cao, không gian khu vực ga Hòa Hưng khá chật…

Mặt khác, TP đang tổ chức quy hoạch, giữ quỹ đất các ga trong khu đầu mối đường sắt TP.HCM theo đúng quy hoạch đã được Thủ tướng Chính phủ phê duyệt, trong đó có ga Thủ Thiêm là ga cuối của đường sắt cao tốc này.

http://www.baomoi.com/Home/DauTu-QuyHoach/www.thanhnien.com.vn/Uu-tien-dau-tu-duong-sat-cao-toc-TPHCM--Nha-Trang/3859865.epi

North-South express railway needs 6,500 workers

VNA-30/03/2010

The railway sector needs to train more than 6,500 employees overseas in order to enable them to operate the North-South express railway, part of which is expected to be put into use in 2020.

According to the Vietnam-Japan Consulting Joint Venture (VJC), the work will start in 2015 and end in late 2019 with 1,300 people to be trained each year.

Dr. Nguyen Huu Bang, General Director of the Vietnam Railway Corporation (VRC), said the North-South express railway is one of the largest and most important infrastructure projects in Vietnam . It is part of the country’s railway transport development strategy through 2020 with a vision to 2050 recently approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

To create a qualified staff for the operation of the railway, since 2009, VRC has sent over 100 officers and engineers to study express railway technologies in Japan, he said, adding that to date, the first 10 trainees have completed their courses.

The North-South express railway, invested by the VRC, will be 1,570 km in length with 27 stations and accommodate trains achieving a speed of 300 km per hour.

Once it is put into operation, it will take five and a half hours to travel from the capital city of Hanoi to the southern economic hub, Ho Chi Minh City./.
Source: VietnamPlus (http://en.vietnamplus.vn/Home/NorthSouth-express-railway-needs-6500-workers/20103/7666.vnplus)

Shall China build a high speed railway Nanning-Pingxiang-Hanoi?

I can wait too see when this new high speed train comes out. I would take a ride just for the pleasure of see vietnam and all its beautiful glory.... much much better than going by Road from Saigon to Hanoi and Ha Long bay.

I took that route and although not as bad as people say it is.. the road and condition was still bad. I took it back in 2004 and part of the road running from Hoi An to Hanoi was just dirt and mud *it seem construction on the road stop*

This new High speed train would be a big plus to the skinny S country, and will add a lot in terms of interstate commerce.

Honestly I dont think high speed train in Vietnam is a good idea! Many people always throw rocks and bricks at train's windows. Many people were hurt. So if a train hit a rock at the speed of 200M/H that would be a disaster, a bloody disaster. No offense but building highspeed railway in VN is a bad bad idea!

Honestly I dont think high speed train in Vietnam is a good idea! Many people always throw rocks and bricks at train's windows. Many people were hurt. So if a train hit a rock at the speed of 200M/H that would be a disaster, a bloody disaster. No offense but building highspeed railway in VN is a bad bad idea!


yeah .... our people still not behave themselves .... very shaming about them ... we need to teach for the people about the Transportation Safety first, behave themselves before do this plan .

Btw, I really happy if our country will have it soon ... so we need to do everything that VNmese can to improve our economic and make money for our country .... omg $56.billion

they can build monorail running from north to south.....if they're not at ground level and no one can reach it, then everything should be gơod

Vietnam legislature rejects bullet train project
HANOI : Vietnam's legislature on Saturday rejected a proposed 56-billion-dollar bullet train project, after concerns that more basic needs should take priority over a scheme dismissed as economically unsound.

In a rare decision by the communist-dominated National Assembly, which usually backs proposals from the government, deputies said they had asked for further study of the plan.

"The National Assembly did not approve a resolution on this project," one deputy, Duong Trung Quoc, told AFP after the vote, which was closed to foreign reporters.

He said a slight majority of 20-30 deputies voted against the plan.

Under the communist government's proposal, the train would have linked the capital Hanoi with the southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City 1,570-kilometres (975 miles) away, at speeds of 300 kilometres an hour.

On the country's existing single-track railway, the journey takes almost two days.

Plans called for the high-speed link to be built by 2035 at a cost amounting to almost 60 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) last year.

"I think it's a reasonable result that shows the responsibility of the deputies," Quoc said of the rejection.

Although more than 90 percent of the nearly 500 deputies are Communist Party members, they have in recent years become more vocal over the country's major problems.

Assembly president Nguyen Phu Trong said the North-South train was a very important project which became "a particular preoccupation" of deputies and voters.

"The National Assembly examined it in a serious manner, carefully and prudently, and charged the government with continuing to examine the country's transport system," Trong told the assembly.

Le Dang Doanh, a visiting fellow at the Economic College of Hanoi, told AFP ahead of Saturday's vote that most ordinary people would prefer the government focus on more immediate concerns such as healthcare and electricity.

He called the train a "very risky" investment given the country's economic imbalances.

According to the World Bank, Vietnam's budget deficit reached a "very high" 8.4 percent of GDP last year. Public debt accounted for about 47.5 percent of GDP, which the World Bank said was high but sustainable if the government is prudent.

"Our country is still poor," Tran Hung Viet, one of many deputies to criticise the plan during debates, was quoted as saying by VNExpress news website.

Vietnam is developing rapidly, but roughly half the population still works in agriculture, the per capita income is about 1,000 dollars and the minimum government salary is 730,000 dong (38 dollars) per month.

Japanese officials have said the Vietnamese government had agreed to adopt its Shinkansen technology for the railway, if the project were approved. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1064400/1/.html

I think Vietnam is seriously being overcharged by Japan for this railway.

An equivalent Chinese project is less than half the cost and is technically comparable.

How come no-one has mentioned this?

China Benchmark
Speed: 350-380km/h
Cost: $27B (1570km x $17M per km)
Construction: 4-6years

Japanese Proposal
Speed: 300km/h
Cost: $56B (1570km x $36M per km)
Construction: 10?-30years (depending on the section)

I think Vietnam is seriously being overcharged by Japan for this railway.

An equivalent Chinese project is less than half the cost and is technically comparable.

How come no-one has mentioned this?

China Benchmark
Speed: 350-380km/h
Cost: $27B (1570km x $17M per km)
Construction: 4-6years

Japanese Proposal
Speed: 300km/h
Cost: $56B (1570km x $36M per km)
Construction: 10?-30years (depending on the section)

Because it would literally be a political suicide for the VCP:)

I think Vietnam is seriously being overcharged by Japan for this railway.

An equivalent Chinese project is less than half the cost and is technically comparable.

How come no-one has mentioned this?

China Benchmark
Speed: 350-380km/h
Cost: $27B (1570km x $17M per km)
Construction: 4-6years

Japanese Proposal
Speed: 300km/h
Cost: $56B (1570km x $36M per km)
Construction: 10?-30years (depending on the section)

There is no possibility for Chinese companies to bid unless it's an open tender.

The proposal would receive funding from the Japanese ODA which means "only" Japanese companies have enough "ability" to get the contract.
TTTT, every Japanese ODA-projects have been overcharged and finished with poor quality and problems. I'm so disappointed and no longer think that "Japanese means good quality".:ohno:
I'll never pay more to get Japanese products. Instead, I'll stick to cheaper products from other countries like Vietnam, Korea, China,..

I am happy the bullet train project was objected. :cheers:

^^ not necessarily the "Japan" problem menitioned but China takes less profit for the same job as Japan and the materials are already available in China at a lower cost and since its domestic that means no or less taxes

TTTT, every Japanese ODA-projects have been overcharged and finished with poor quality and problems. I'm so disappointed and no longer think that "Japanese means good quality".

Care to back up that accusation with facts, rather than innuendo?

Care to back up that accusation with facts, rather than innuendo?

Trust me! I've been using Japanese products for long long time and I used to think that the Japanese always has a perfect quality control system.

Here are the facts:
- Can Tho bridge was collapsed during construction.
Ref. link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collapse_of_Can_Tho_Bridge
- In Hanoi, Kim Lien tunnel has many water leaks
http://image.tin247.com/vietnamnet/090716195558-820-627.jpg

http://image.tin247.com/dantri/090716151548-689-575.jpg

- In Saigon, Thu Thiem tunnel already has more than 240 water leaking spots.
http://nhansuvietnam.vn/news_pictures/2/qpyum1235703965.jpg

http://images.vietnamnet.vn/dataimages/201005/original/images1971021_1.jpg
They are repairing those with glue but I don't believe that much.
Ref. Links: http://www.thanhniennews.com/2010/Pages/20100526183656.aspx
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/social/201005/Thu-Thiem-tunnel%E2%80%99s-soaked-spots-to-be-repaired-with-glue-913412/

.....

Abt the overcharges, I don't have any reports in English now but I am not making them up.

Perhaps, I shouldn't expect too much from JP. Human makes mistake and JP ppl are also human.

Thanks for those links. In regards to Can Tho bridge collapse, blame could be variable, as it states that probable cause of the collapse was caused by premature removal of scaffolding by sub-contractors, we don't know if those were Japanese or not, though the primary Japanese contractor bears responsibility for supervision, as does the Vietnamese Govt.

As for Thu Thiem tunnel, the article clearly states the leaks are not considered serious (nor do we know if such leaks are rare or not on long tunnels such as these). Please note this quote from same article:

“Many tunnels in the world, including Sydney Harbour Tunnel in Australia, have applied this measure successfully to fix water leaks,” he said.

It seems such conditions are not unusual, and thus are not symptomatic of some deficiency in Japanese engineering. Certainly, as you state, Japanese firms are not infallible (who really claimed such things??), as certainly German, Korean, or Chinese firms are not either.

As for "expensive" Japanese products, certainly they are pricier than their competitors, as they have ceded the low end of the market to Korea and China. They are more niche makers now, at least in developing countries. It must be noted that at Japanese camera and electronic stores, products are displayed with large "made in Japan" stickers. This is at request of tourists from China and Southeast Asia, not due to some nationalistic hubris. It seems the biggest believers in Japanese quality control are the (mainland) Asians themselves, whether justified or not.

Thanks for those links. In regards to Can Tho bridge collapse, blame could be variable, as it states that probable cause of the collapse was caused by premature removal of scaffolding by sub-contractors, we don't know if those were Japanese or not, though the primary Japanese contractor bears responsibility for supervision, as does the Vietnamese Govt.

As for Thu Thiem tunnel, the article clearly states the leaks are not considered serious (nor do we know if such leaks are rare or not on long tunnels such as these). Please note this quote from same article:

“Many tunnels in the world, including Sydney Harbour Tunnel in Australia, have applied this measure successfully to fix water leaks,” he said.

It seems such conditions are not unusual, and thus are not symptomatic of some deficiency in Japanese engineering. Certainly, as you state, Japanese firms are not infallible (who really claimed such things??), as certainly German, Korean, or Chinese firms are not either.

Those (corrupted) speakers are from the governments but no Vietnamese person would like to believe them. You should believe them very little.

I didn't expect that the Japanese contractors would make no mistake in Vietnam. What I am mainly worried abt is the frequency of those mistakes.


As for "expensive" Japanese products, certainly they are pricier than their competitors, as they have ceded the low end of the market to Korea and China. They are more niche makers now, at least in developing countries. It must be noted that at Japanese camera and electronic stores, products are displayed with large "made in Japan" stickers. This is at request of tourists from China and Southeast Asia, not due to some nationalistic hubris. It seems the biggest believers in Japanese quality control are the (mainland) Asians themselves, whether justified or not.
I've never been to China or any other Southeast Asia so I don't know the situation there. In America, many ones prefer products from a Japanese companies :) People will be willing to trade their 2002 or 2003 Ford for a 1998 Honda :lol:
And in Vietnam, people (including me) always prefer Japanese-made products. Recently, I bought a high-end Sony laptop for $ 1800 when I could get a same-configuration one by HP or Lenovo for just about $ 500 or $ 600. The reason was so simple: "Sony said that they only make this model in Japan".^^

Obayashi is the contractor for both Thu Thiem Tunnel and Can Tho bridge. The point is their constructions outside Vietnam is far better than in VN :( I dun think that Obayashi must have responsibility for those! They employed Vietnamese engineers, Vietnamese workers and using "Made in Vietnam" material. maybe that's why!

Obayashi is the contractor for both Thu Thiem Tunnel and Can Tho bridge. The point is their constructions outside Vietnam is far better than in VN :( I dun think that Obayashi must have responsibility for those! They employed Vietnamese engineers, Vietnamese workers and using "Made in Vietnam" material. maybe that's why!

Good point! :)

Why would Vietnam want a high speed train?
Appart from the pride (there is always a question of pride in having a high speed train, wether it is in Japan, in France or anywhere else...), and the comfort of travelling like a bullet (which would benefit to the minority who prefers to save time then money), I would think that a proper double track and electricity powered trains would be much more efficient. The top speed for passenger trains would be around 250 km/h, which would be a massive improvement from now, and those tracks could be used for freight trains as well!
So you have speed and freight capacity, that would make the return on investment of the project in a much shorter time frame, and I reckon the impact on the economic development will be much higher.

What do you think?

Why would Vietnam want a high speed train?
Appart from the pride (there is always a question of pride in having a high speed train, wether it is in Japan, in France or anywhere else...), and the comfort of travelling like a bullet (which would benefit to the minority who prefers to save time then money), I would think that a proper double track and electricity powered trains would be much more efficient. The top speed for passenger trains would be around 250 km/h, which would be a massive improvement from now, and those tracks could be used for freight trains as well!
So you have speed and freight capacity, that would make the return on investment of the project in a much shorter time frame, and I reckon the impact on the economic development will be much higher.

What do you think?

Vietnam wants to walk (WALK ok) to the moon too.
What do you think?

Obayashi is the contractor for both Thu Thiem Tunnel and Can Tho bridge. The point is their constructions outside Vietnam is far better than in VN :( I dun think that Obayashi must have responsibility for those! They employed Vietnamese engineers, Vietnamese workers and using "Made in Vietnam" material. maybe that's why!

No, you are wrong. These don't matter. It's a immorally wrong way to pass blames to other.
As long as you are the main contractor, it's your responsibility to guarantee the quality you promised.
We don't care how you do it. We simply check if you can finish what is written in the contract.

No, you are wrong. These don't matter. It's a immorally wrong way to pass blames to other.
As long as you are the main contractor, it's your responsibility to guarantee the quality you promised.
We don't care how you do it. We simply check if you can finish what is written in the contract.

Ah MưaNặng, mi thọt lét ta bên kia làm ta cười sướng quá. "responsibility to guarantee the quality" là cái chi.

Vietnam moving to revive Shinkansen plan

The government of Vietnam plans to revise and resubmit a proposal rejected by its national assembly, or parliament, to build a Shinkansen-style high-speed railway system, a visiting senior official said Wednesday.

Dinh La Thang, chairman of the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group, told Satoshi Arai, Japan's national policy minister, that the Vietnamese government hopes to adopt the Shinkansen technology and have it operating by 2025.

Thang, a member of the Central Communist Party Committee, met Arai at the Cabinet Office.Vietnam's National Assembly on Saturday voted down the proposal to build a 1,500-kilometer high-speed railway system between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, citing the $55.8 billion (5.05 trillion yen) cost as too high.

Thang said the assembly had asked the government to review the proposal and the government is doing so.

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201006240481.html

Vietnam moving to revive Shinkansen plan

The government of Vietnam plans to revise and resubmit a proposal rejected by its national assembly, or parliament, to build a Shinkansen-style high-speed railway system, a visiting senior official said Wednesday.

Dinh La Thang, chairman of the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group, told Satoshi Arai, Japan's national policy minister, that the Vietnamese government hopes to adopt the Shinkansen technology and have it operating by 2025.

Thang, a member of the Central Communist Party Committee, met Arai at the Cabinet Office.Vietnam's National Assembly on Saturday voted down the proposal to build a 1,500-kilometer high-speed railway system between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, citing the $55.8 billion (5.05 trillion yen) cost as too high.

Thang said the assembly had asked the government to review the proposal and the government is doing so.

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201006240481.html

Oh cool, now they will bribe more senators rite? :ohno: I dun wanna c they use our tax money like that!:bash:

^^ who came up with this bill??? :ohno:

Japanese business man are very sneaky

Why would Vietnam want a high speed train?
Appart from the pride (there is always a question of pride in having a high speed train, wether it is in Japan, in France or anywhere else...), and the comfort of travelling like a bullet (which would benefit to the minority who prefers to save time then money), I would think that a proper double track and electricity powered trains would be much more efficient. The top speed for passenger trains would be around 250 km/h, which would be a massive improvement from now, and those tracks could be used for freight trains as well!
So you have speed and freight capacity, that would make the return on investment of the project in a much shorter time frame, and I reckon the impact on the economic development will be much higher.

What do you think?

250 km/h is a bit much for narrow gauge railways.

Narrow gauge railways can be electrified and double tracked. Japanese did it too. Their service speed is up to 130 km/h, on 1067 mm track. Queensland also has 1067 mm gauge. The Queensland Tilt Train runs at 160 km/h.

Queensland North Coast Line is 1680 km between Brisbane and Cairns. Only 638 km of it (Brisbane to Rockhampton) is electrified, and only 64 km (Brisbane to Beerburrum) is double track.

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/dataimages/201006/original/images1990032_1.jpg

Mono or double rail debate in Hanoi speeds up

VietNamNet Bridge – Hanoi needs an overhead tramcar route to reduce gridlock, but transportation experts should weigh the benefits of a mono or double rail.

Vietnam Construction Import-Export Corporation (Vinaconex) has recently submitted a plan to build a monorail route in Hanoi to deal with traffic jams in the western areas. The route will run overhead from Hoang Hoa Tham to Van Cao – Nguyen Chi Thanh – Tran Duy Hung to the end of Lang-Hoa Lac highway, totaling 38 kilometers.

According to Vinaconex, the project developer, a monorail is appropriate for Hanoi because it doesn’t require large space. The train can run through buildings by overpasses or underground. Ticket prices will be low, affordable for government employees, students, and others.

The monorail was chosen because one kilometer is estimated at only $8 million of investment capital compared to $40-50 million for one kilometer of normal railway. Transportation analysts stress, however, that the monorail capacity is lower than a normal rail system.

Phan Le Binh, a senior expert from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), noted that , in Japan, mono and double rails are very popular. Monorail trains can carry 50-60 passengers per carriage, compared to 100 for double rail trains. He maintained that the monorail’s advantage is low investment capital and suitability for short distances and small cities where traffic circulation is small.

Dao Ngoc Nghiem, Hanoi Architecture Planning Association Vice-Chair, has supported the monorail project. He noted that Hoa Lac will become a satellite town with 600,000 people, so a monorail route from the center city is necessary. An overhead monorail is a good choice for a distance of 40km through a populated area.

Khuat Viet Hung, deputy director of the Institute for Traffic Planning and Management, has worried that it would be a waste to build an overhead monorail route from Hoa Lac because Hanoi plans a rapid bus route on this road. He speculated that passengers may choose the rapid bus rather than the monorail because of lower fares. In addition, the capacity of the rapid buses will be higher than monorail.

According to Hung, the city should build an overhead double rail route because they can run faster and can carry more passengers.

Nguyen Manh Hung, Vietnam Car Transport Association Chair, welcomed the idea of constructing overhead rail routes, but he stressed that Hanoi should carefully research the number of passengers to make appropriate investment plans.