I feel so happy for Viet Nam

but I feel so sad for California.

I hate driving car in California because I am not a good driver.

I need to ride the high-speed train.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/f...rack=crosspromo

THE STATE
High-speed rail system may be derailed
Schwarzenegger moves to slash funding for the system, citing other transportation needs.
By Marc Lifsher, Times Staff Writer
April 29, 2007


SACRAMENTO — For more than a decade, policymakers have debated, studied and scoped out a high-speed rail line that would whisk travelers between downtown Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2 1/2 hours.

But, this year, the $40-billion dream of building a Japanese- or European-style bullet train through the Central Valley may find itself stopped in its tracks.

vietnam has a 33 billion dollar hi speed train plan?

damn, where's all that money coming from?

i'd like to read the article.

Sir, most of the money will come from Japan.

do you have a link? i'd like to have a read.

vietnam is ideal for a nice train system with its long and narrow shape; hanoi to saigon.
although i think it's too early for vietnam to be thinking about these kinds of costly megaprojects.

Wow, Sir CJK, where have you been?

You need to keep up with the current news around the world, Sir.

Here is the link.



http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/06/business/vietrail.php


High-speed train planned for Vietnam
$33 billion budgeted for high-speed train

wow, very impressive and extremely ambitious.

many heavy industrial companies involved are very happy, im sure.

Vietnam needs a lot of efficient mass transit to reduce traffic problems. With the increasing demands for cars, there will be many problems since the cities are not built for cars and they can just raze down houses to enlarge roads.

The US is a land of automobiles. It doesn't need efficient mass transportations systems in areas like California. Besides, the Detroit Big Threes will lobby to kill any attempt to get people to use mass transportation because they need to sell cars.

How about Japan Big Threes: Japan, Honda, Nissan?

They would join American Big Threes: GM, Ford, Chrysler

to lobby against the high speed train in California.

The math has been done. It would be cheaper to use the express train from Hanoi to HCM than flying.

Instead of building it in phases, PM Nguyen Tan Dung has decided to build it in only 1 phase.

I am mad right now 'cause

Vietnam may get the high-speed train

faster than California does.

How can California lose to Vietnam like this?

This is shameful and unbearable for me as a Californian.

Give me $33 bil usd and I'll get Vietnam 800 Su30

Vietnam hasn't even started building it yet. With Vietnam's great reputation for finishing big projects like Oil Refinery and Vinasat, I'm sure they are gonna build this railroad in a reasonable amount of time.

Hehe

You are all about military technology, like me.

Not only from Hanoi to HCM. China is planning to build express railway from two China southern provinces to Hanoi and from Hanoi to Hai Phong. Though, Viet Nam has to come up with the money.

Once completed, people from Hong Kong can use the express train to Hanoi and Hai Phong.

Downside of this is when China goes to war with Viet Nam, China can transport their PLA straight into Hanoi.

Personally, i think the money for this proposed high speed train can be better used elsewhere.
How about investing in the current rail system and expanding it with billions to spare?
I feel that Vietnam doesnt need the fastest, cutting edge rail system...yet.

Japan's really swindling you guys.
So they give you guys more than half the cost of the project in ODA funds.
And then they decide which companies and contractors will participate, which is to mostly japanese companies.
So all the money Japan has loaned you guys goes right back into their pockets and Vietnam is left with tens of billions of debt.
Smart Japanese.

China plans to take over Vietnam. Vietnam better be careful.

But aren't you Chinese?

Yeah, the Japanese are smart. If they are not smart, they would not have one of the top economies of the world.

Yes, Sir Byron, I am an American citizen of Chinese Vietnamese ancestry.

I speak English, Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Spanish.

I am loyal to the USA and I want to help Vietnam to become an economic powerhouse in the 21st century.

I wonder if Vietnam can use people like me.

You dont have to be smart to know how to exploit.

How do you get foreign investors to invest in other places beside Hanoi and HCM? Each stop between Hanoi and HCM can lure investors to invest if they have access to it.

Vietnam already has a rail system and many cities have access to the sea.
So youre saying a country needs a high speed rail system to attract investment?
Vietnam is doing fine as it is.

33 billion can go a long way to improve other infrastructure and the current rail system.

Of course, that's how ODA is all about. Nations won't loan you money unless they make profits out of it.
I'm just surprised that no other countries have the guts to loan Vietnam this much money except the Japanese. Let's not kid ourselves here, this is a $23.1 bil loan here, that's a lot of money there. Heck, as rich as America is, they won't even loan us a buck in this project.

Didn't the Japanese remember the time during the 1980s when they loaned Vietnam a $hitload of cash and Vietnam took it and never paid it back? lol

Japan loans Vietnam $23 Billion on this project.

China plans to loan Philippines $32 Billion on future project.

China does not have the guts to loan Vietnam money.

Who are your enemies, who are your friends,

look at the facts.

How about use it to build 330 skyscapers ($100M/piece)?

If VN doesn't build the express railway then Japan will not put out the money.

You must be thinking this is a loan to the government. It is more of an investment where Japan gets the money from those who use the express train for X amount of years.

If no one uses the express train, then Japan will take the lost.

huh? You guys do not know that Japan is the first foreign country PM Dung visited right after he got the job. It is part of a grand strategy game when Dung & Abe announced that Vietnam & Japan are strategic partners. Japan also help Vietnam in the game of counter-balancing in Cambodia when China gave over $500 million of AIDS (no string attached) to Cambodia. Anywayz, Vietnam will master these bullet trains in no time

Do you have the source to this? To what I know, the US told her friend nations not to help Vietnam during those time.

huh? most? SoCal check your fact carefully. Most of the money are from Vietnam (70%), the other 30% will be acquired from multiple sources, including ODA from Japan. The Japan will provide us the technology, that can be said to be the most important factor from Japan.

nearly all the funding comes from loans.
how would Vietnam possibly have 70% of the 33 billion dollars at their disposal to set aside for this project?
here's a line from the article SoCal kindly posted.

"Seventy percent of the funding will come from the Vietnamese government, mainly in the form of Japanese official development assistance. Vietnam Railways will raise 30 percent of the cost from loans, Nguyen Huu Bang, director of the railroad company, said."

opps, my bad. thanks for the correction, cjk

Ok leave Japan alone , they are nice ppl

Well, I don't think spend 33 billions to build a single railway system will be a smart choice for Vietnam. as least, not for the current situation.
here's some info about Vietnam's financial situation
in 2006
Government revenues: $15.42 billion
expenditures: $16.63 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (2006 est.)

Current account balance:
$1.029 billion

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$11.92 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$21.86 billion (2006 est.)

Even 30% of 33 billion will be 9.9 billion. which will increase the Debt 45.2%
Vietanm should rahter spend those money on roads, basic infrastructures, power plants........etc.
33 billion is too much for vietnam right now.

3 năm nữa TP HCM có tàu điện ngầm

Toàn bộ dự án metro có thể ngốn trên 5 tỷ USD, chỉ riêng lập phương án hỗ trợ kỹ thuật "Chuẩn bị dự án metro tại TP HCM" đã mất 2,2 triệu USD. Phương án hỗ trợ kỹ thuật đã được UBND TP HCM phê duyệt cuối tuần qua.

Trong số 2,2 triệu USD, Ngân hàng phát triển Châu Á (ADB) viện trợ không hoàn lại 1,7 triệu USD, Chính phủ góp 500.000 USD, số còn lại là của thành phố và các nhà đầu tư.

Với các yêu cầu lập kế hoạch xây dựng 2 tuyến metro ưu tiên và kết nối cùng các dự án xây dựng các tuyến vận tải có khối lượng lớn, dự kiến phương án kỹ thuật phải đến tháng 4 năm sau mới hoàn tất.


Bangkok đi trước TP HCM hàng chục năm, không chỉ có metro mà còn cả Sky train - xe điện trên không. Ảnh: P.A.

Theo thiết kế ban đầu, hệ thống tàu điện ngầm TP HCM có tổng chiều dài 54 km, 6 đường ray và 22 nhà ga và 4 tuyến. Nhà ga trung tâm đặt ở Công viên 23/9, quận 1.

Các tuyến metro sẽ được xây dựng cuốn chiếu và dự kiến đến 2010 thành phố sẽ có 2 tuyến đưa vào hoạt động. Dự án sẽ hoàn tất vào năm 2020.

Mục tiêu của hệ thống metro nhằm thay thế 25% lượng xe gắn máy lưu thông trên đường đến năm 2010. Vào giai đoạn cuối 2020, giao thông công cộng bằng tàu điện ngầm sẽ giúp TP HCM giảm một nửa lượng xe gắn máy lưu thông trên đường.

Hiện TP HCM gọi vốn đầu tư trực tiếp nước ngoài cho dự án metro thành phố. Hồi giữa năm ngoái, Tập đoàn Siemens của Đức dự kiến sẽ đầu tư 2 tuyến metro tại TP HCM, vốn tổng vốn đầu tư khoảng 800 triệu euro. Trong đó, TP HCM chịu 30% vốn, còn lại vay với 100 triệu euro từ nguồn vốn viện trợ phát triển chính thức (ODA) của Đức và 20 triệu euro từ Áo.

Hệ thống metro TP HCM dự kiến bao gồm các tuyến:

1/ Bến Thành - Bình Tây - Phú Lâm - An Lạc: Dài khoảng 15km, ưu tiên thực hiện trước đoạn Bến Thành - Bình Tây dài 5km.

2/ Bến Thành - Gò Vấp: Khoảng 11 cây số chiều dài, ưu tiên một cho đoạn Bến Thành - công viên Chiến Thắng (quận Tân Bình) dài 5km.

3/ Bến Thành - Thủ Đức - Biên Hòa: 23km, ưu tiên làm trước phần Bến Thành - Thủ Đức dài 11 cây số.

4/ Tuyến Bến Thành - Thủ Thiêm đến vùng trung tâm khu đô thị tương lai là Xóm Chông, Xóm Mới, dài khoảng 5km.

Năng lực chuyên chở ước tính trong điều kiện chạy 5 phút/chuyến tàu 5-6 toa là 1.644 triệu lượt hành khách/năm. Dự kiến các tuyến tàu điện ngầm sẽ đảm nhận khoảng 600-800 triệu lượt hành khách vào những năm đầu sau khi đưa vào khai thác.

Trong tương lai xa, các tuyến metro sẽ phát triển dần thành tuyến vòng tròn khép kín như nhiều thành phố lớn trên thế giới, đáp ứng nhu cầu đi lại ngày càng cao trong nội thành cũng như các vùng phụ cận, nhất là trên các tuyến trục trọng yếu.

(Nguồn: Viện Kinh tế TP HCM)

http://vnexpress.net/Vietnam/Xa-hoi/2007/04/3B9F5872/

And what the hell is this ?? where would Vn get all the money for both at the same time ?? can someone please clarify this

Hope Vn does not get into a high speed crisis
Thank you

It's not a crisis, vietnam badly needs these basic infrastructure.

Hanoi's metro is already under construction.

Sooner or later Vietnam will get the express railway, so might as well build one.

At some point, the high speed train makes sense: we need to move a lot of people from Hanoi to Saigon - fast. And the geographical waist of Vietnam is rather narrow, so it's not as if we can build a ton of parallel train tracks and highways running North to South.

The financing issue for us will be critical. As others have pointed out, we have other urgent priorities, which are crying for resources.

$33B is a large sum of money that can be used to develop other needed infrastructures like ports, freeways. Rail is an infrastructure but Vietnam already has train service. I'd like to see upgrades to existing train cabins to improve passenger comforts. High speed train is too expensive so they would have to charge a lot of money for tickets which may be unaffordable for most ordinary people.

The chance of this project getting materialized is ZERO even if the Japanese are willing to loan Vietnam the money; that's my thought about this project

is this the same project ? ..anyone know about this plan?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTjCZc11u-c

News update: Vietnam-Japan Regulation Committee has been formed to supervise this project. If I remember correctly, the bullet train project will move to the construction phase at the beginning of 2009. Check the link below.

http://www.thanhniennews.com/business/?cat...mp;newsid=27599

Vietnamese-Japanese committee to expedite infrastructure projects

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has nodded the establishment of a Vietnam-Japan committee to supervise Vietnam’s three major projects.

The Vietnam-Japan Regulation Committee will provide information, mobilize investment and oversee the progress of cooperative Vietnam-Japan projects including the North-South high-speed railway, the North-South highway and the Hoa Lac hi-tech park in Hanoi.

The committee is set to meet for the first time Thursday to discuss measures to accelerate the three projects, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The committee will be headed by Vo Hong Phuc, Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment, and Norio Hattori, the Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam.

On the occasion of PM Dung’s visit to Japan last year, the Japanese government pledged to support Vietnam with technological assistance and preferential interest loans.

no thats a metro...wholy a different project...this project is going to build within Hanoi only...they're building the Nhon Station at the moment...value of this proejct is only US$600million for one route from Nhon to main railway station!

One year late, 2010 not 2009 . Is that true that only Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China have high-speed railways in Asia?

Rail boss: Vietnam to begin high-speed line in 2010

Taipei - Vietnam plans to begin building a high-speed railway linking Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in 2010, Vietnam's railway chief said Tuesday at a symposium in Taipei. "Construction will start in 2010, and the high-speed railway will begin operation in 2020," Vu Xuan Hong, chairman of the Vietnam Railway Adminstration, said at the High Speed Railway in Asia Symposium.

"Eventually, Vietnam's high-speed rail will link up with Asia's regional railway network," he added.

About 500 railway experts from Asia and Europe attended the two-day symposium, which ended Tuesday, to discuss problems concerning high-speed railways and the prospects for building high-speed railways in Asia.

The stretch between Vietnam's two largest cities is still in the planning stages.

"So far, we only have the master plan for railway system development approved by the prime minister and have yet to map out the investment report for the high-speed one, let alone contracts," said Nguyen Trong Nghia, secretary to the general director of the Vietnam Railway Corp.

The project is under negotiation between the governments of Vietnam and Japan, which is to provide the technology for the railway, Nghia said in an interview in Vietnam.

At least 425 million dollars is earmarked for the project, according to the Vietnam Railway Corp's master plan posted on its website.

Hong said in Taipei than the high-speed line from the capital in the north to booming Vietnam's industrial centre in the south was being planned to update the country's rail system.

"The Vietnamese railway system dates back to the French colonial days, and the trains travel on a narrow gauge at 40 kilometres per hour," he said.

Currently, passengers have to sit on a bumpy train for two to three days to travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. The high-speed rail could reduce the travel time to under 10 hours in a narrow country where railways play an important role in transporting goods and passengers.

High-speed rail refers to trains that run faster than 200 kilometres per hour, but in most countries that have high-speed rail, the trains run at speeds of 250 to 300 kilometres per hour.

Asian countries that have high-speed railways are Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China.


http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/128896.html

is metro done yet?

Part of the rail track is in place. Enjoy the tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTjCZc11u-c

Wow this is great. let all move back to Vietnam.

That has been predicted. Now we need to worry about mass waves of illegal immigrants flowing into Vietnam.

Thai workers will flow to Vietnam in next decade
BANGKOK, April 27 (TNA) - Increasing numbers of Thai workers will probably seek jobs in Vietnam by the next decade since the former socialist country will by then emerge as the leading economic power in the region, according to a top Thai industrial estate executive.

Vikrom Kromdit, president and chief executive officer of Amata Corporation Plc, a giant industrial estate developer, said the Thai economy remains engulfed with many problems this year.

In particular, Thailand's current government has not won recognition from the international community since it was not elected under a democratic system.

At the same time, many ministers in the cabinet are technocrats who are familiar with the decision-making process in the bureaucratic system. So, accordingly, they are seen to be working so slowly, without the sense of urgency that the business sector usually exhibits.

Given these factors, Mr. Vikrom projected that the economy this year would grow around 3 per cent only unless the government accelerated restoring confidence and attracting more foreign investment.

"The (Thai) government needs to consider why foreign investors have shifted their investment base to Vietnam," the Amata executive commented. "What should we do to attract these investors.

"We need to amend rules and regulations governing investment in the financial and banking businesses to encourage opening of foreign bank branches in Thailand.

"We have to seek an answer why the top international banks worldwide are opening their branches in Singapore," Mr. Vikrom said, "while less than 20 foreign banks set up their branches in Thailand."

Mr. Vikrom pointed out that Vietnam, which is Thailand's key economic rival, is enjoying continued economic growth.

The Vietnamese economy is expected to expand 8 to 9 per cent this year. More than US$10.2 billion of capital from 77 countries flowed into Vietnam last year, and the country's exports grew 20 per cent to more than $40 billion in value.

Given the demonstrated performance factors, he projected that Vietnam's economic growth would outpace that of China in the next decade.

With the population likely to increase to 100 million in that period, Vietnam will become one of the world's major markets with a substantial need for foreign labourers.

In future, Thai skilled labour is likely to travel to work in Vietnam in numbers, in a way similar to the current labour scene in Singapore and Taiwan at present, he said. (TNA)-E005

http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=29129

Is this even needed? Just because East Asian countries have it does not mean we need it. Upgrading existing transportation systems would be much cheaper and this money could be invested elsewhere. Doing this just for bragging rights does not seem like a very wise idea.