The NA Vice Chairman says that the Government needs to consider carefully and respond to questions raised by the people, scientists and experts about the express railway project.

National Assembly Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Kien.

National Assembly Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Kien says that the Government needs to consider carefully and respond to questions raised by the people, scientists and experts about the North-South express railway project.

Controversies over North-South express railway project

Kien told reporters on May 24 that “There are so many different opinions about the express rail project that I’ve asked the Government to sort them out and prepare a responsive report, taking special note of deputies’ opinions and the report of the NA’s Committee for Science, Technology and the Environment. I’d like the Government to present the report at the NA meeting on June 8. It ought to clarify the different elements of the project, that is, the ‘sub-projects,’ and explain how capital can be raised for each.”

Reporter: What are these sub-projects?

Nguyen Duc Kien: There are at least four: construction of the railway, purchase of the trains, construction of stations, and site clearance and compensation.

The state can invest in building the railway. Private investors can invest in trains. Site clearance and compensation is related to the construction of new residential areas, new industrial zones. Private investors can invest in this sub-project, too. Stations can be developed also as shopping and service centres. We have to clearly divide the high-speed rail project into sub-projects to maximize their attractiveness to investors.

Reporter: Will the NA ask the government to report on environment impacts because this railway will run through many national parks, just as it did for the Ho Chi Minh highway project?

Vice Chairman Kien: Vietnam’s already passed through the initial stage of industrialization and modernization. We have also learned from the experience of other countries. We ought to be fully aware of the three pillars of sustainable development: the economy, society and the environment. Lessons learned from the Ho Chi Minh highway project should be studied and applied in other projects.

Reporter: Do you agree with the deputies who propose to defer voting on this project until next NA session [in November]?

Kien: That hasn’t been decided yet. The fact is, from the time we decide in principle to move ahead with this project until work begins, about eight years will pass. Like the nuclear power plants, this is a lengthy undertaking. It’s going to challenge our strength as managers, our economic capacity and indeed our cultural resilience.

Reporter: Some say that the current (12^th) National Assembly is deciding many big issues, such as the expansion of Hanoi, the nuclear power project in Ninh Thuan and the express railway project. Is there reason to fear that the Assembly is simply rolling up a huge debt for the next generation?

Kien: The NA doesn’t make decisions lightly. It considers the relationships among sectors, fields of expertise and regions. It considers the sustainability of the economy and the capability of the State in the short and long term. The plan must be evaluated and decided on this basis.

Le Nhung