The principal route is the 1,727 km (1,100 mi) single-track North–South Railway line, running between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

While the state of the country’s road network is consistently improving, the railway system makes a significant contribution to the national transport infrastructure, with multiple daily freight trains, many being movement of containers.

On September 11, 2008, the Cambodian Ministry of Transportation announced a new railway line with the total length of 257 km (160 miles) will connect Phnom Penh with Loc Ninh (Binh Phuoc province), Vietnam.

In August 2010, the government announced plans to build two sections of standard-gauge railway, one from Hanoi to Vinh and the other from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang.

At a more local level, the picturesque hill town and resort of Đà Lạt was once connected by a scenic little rack railway to the main north-south line at Thap Cham.

[2] Although there is now little visible trace of the trackbed in the green and fertile landscape, local businesses have secured a promise of government funding for its reinstatement, to benefit tourism in the area.

[4] Vietnam Railways also planned a 1,630 km (1,013 mi) high-speed standard gauge[5] link from its capital Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City in the south, capable of running at 250 to 300 km/h (155 to 186 mph).