VIETNAM: A contract for the construction of the first stage of Ho Chi Minh City metro line 1 was signed on May 16, paving the way for main works to begin in September.
The 17·1 km elevated section between Ben Thanh Market and Suoi Tien Park with 11 stations is to be designed and built by a consortium of state-owned Civil Engineering Construction Corp No 6 and Japanese firm Sumitomo Corp at a cost of 15·3tr dong.
A separate contract is to be let for the 2·6 km underground section between Ben Thanh Market and Bason Shipyard with three stations, while a third contract will cover railway systems for the line.
The total cost of Line 1 is estimated at 47tr dong, of which 88% will come from Japanese official development assistance funds. Completion is planned for 2018.
- On May 17 Asian Development Bank and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee signed a memorandum of understanding for a US$500m loan to fund metro Line 2. Work on the US$1·4bn line began in 2010 and is scheduled for completion in 2016.
