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Dai Quang Minh Real Estate Investment JSC has proposed a 46.4-kilometer rail line linking downtown Ho Chi Minh City with Long Thanh International Airport, with an estimated cost of VND134.17 trillion ($5.14 billion) for the first phase, according to a feasibility study currently under review.

The Thu Thiem-Long Thanh railway project is among key infrastructure projects that HCMC plans to break ground on Vietnam’s National Day, or September 2.

The updated study puts the line's length at about 46.44 km, running from the eastern end of Thu Thiem station on the Ben Thanh-Thu Thiem route in HCMC to Cam Duong depot in neighboring Dong Nai city.

About 11 km of the line would run underground, while 34.5 km would be elevated, with the remainder at ground level or on transition sections.

The line would have 18 stations, excluding Thu Thiem station, including 16 elevated and two underground stations. The first phase would build 14 stations to improve investment efficiency.

Six stations would be located in HCMC and eight in Dong Nai, providing connections to residential areas, industrial zones, and Long Thanh airport.

Connecting with wider rail network

The route would follow major transport corridors, including expressways and Ring Road 3, while connecting with six other rail lines to create a mass-transit network serving Long Thanh airport.

It would link with the Ben Thanh-Thu Thiem metro at Thu Thiem station, Metro Line 6 at Ring Road 2 and Phu Huu stations, and Metro Line 10 at Long Truong station.

The project would also connect with the Vung Tau-Ba Ria-Phu My railway at Xom Goc station, as well as an extension of the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line and the North-South high-speed railway at a station inside Long Thanh airport.

The line is designed to handle nearly 47,000 passengers per hour, with an average capacity of more than 23,400 passengers per hour in each direction.

Trains would have a maximum design speed of 120 kilometers per hour and operate at between 80 km/h and 110 km/h depending on the section.

The project would use GoA4 automated operation, the highest level of automation under European standards, to align with the planned Tham Luong-Ben Thanh-Thu Thiem metro corridor.

BT model proposed

The first phase is expected to have a preliminary investment cost of VND134.17 trillion ($5.14 billion), excluding land clearance expenses. The estimate is lower than an earlier proposal.

The project is expected to be developed under a build-transfer (BT) contract, with the investor responsible for raising capital and receiving payment through a combination of land funds and state budget resources.

Construction is targeted for completion in 2030, creating a direct mass-transit connection between HCMC and Long Thanh International Airport.

HCMC has a long-term plan for more than 1,000 km of urban railway, but currently operates only about 20 km of the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line.

The city has also begun work on the Ben Thanh-Tham Luong, Ben Thanh-Thu Thiem and Ben Thanh-Can Gio routes.

By 2030, the city aims to expand its urban railway network to 255 km. Other projects under preparation include the New Binh Duong-Suoi Tien line, the first phase of Metro Line 6 from Tan Son Nhat airport to Phu Huu, Thu Dau Mot-Tao Dan, and the Tham Luong-An Ha-Tay Bac urban area section of Metro Line 2.

Vietnam earned nearly US$2.8 billion from shrimp exports during the seven-month period of 2026, up 13.5% year-on-year, according to data from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

In July alone, shrimp exports stood at US$452 million, a 10% increase compared to the same period last year. However, this figure fell short of the US$458 million recorded in June, indicating that monthly growth momentum has yet to make a strong breakthrough.

While overall seven-month growth stayed solid, performance varied significantly across markets and product segments. China drove expansion, with lobster emerging as a bright spot, whereas the US market faced ongoing pressure from tariffs and supply competition.

Specifically, shipments to Mainland China brought in nearly US$939 million, up 42.3% and accounting for 33.5% of total turnover. Including Hong Kong, the China-Hong Kong market generated over US$980 million, up 39.6% and representing 35% of Vietnam’s total shrimp exports. VASEP highlighted this as the most crucial growth engine offsetting declines in traditional markets.

While seven-month results were positive, VASEP noted that the quality of growth warranted closer scrutiny. China and lobster demand provided a strong pull, whereas exports to the US declined and the EU market flattened out.

For the remainder of the year, growth potential lies in China, member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Australia, and Japan. Conversely, the US market faces headwinds due to sluggish purchasing power, trade defense risks, tightening import controls, and fierce competition from Ecuador and India.

Furthermore, effective July 24, 2026, Vietnamese goods face an additional 12.5% US tariff. Shrimp is the most impacted item under US tariff policies, as some Vietnamese exporters face this 12.5% Section 301 duty alongside existing anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duties (CVD).

Shrimp remains the highest-value export commodity in the seafood industry. In 2025, when total seafood export turnover hit US$11.3 billion, shrimp contributed a record US$4.83 billion, up 25.5% year-on-year.

Of that total, China continued to be the largest importer, taking in US$1.2 billion (US$1.3 billion including Hong Kong, or 28.3% market share, up 55%). Exports to the US in 2025 fetched US$796 million, up 5.4% and accounting for 17.2% of total turnover.

Singapore remains the largest foreign investor in Ho Chi Minh City, with total registered capital exceeding $24 billion. Beyond real estate, industrial parks and banking, Singaporean investment is increasingly moving into high-tech, innovation, data infrastructure and other high-value-added sectors.

The information was provided by Nguyen Loc Ha, Standing Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, at a ceremony marking the 61st National Day of Singapore (August 9, 1965 - August 9, 2026), organized by the Consulate General of Singapore in the city.

According to Ha, cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore has become a bright spot in the city's overall external relations in recent years.

Singapore is currently the largest foreign investor in HCMC, with total registered capital exceeding $24 billion. While maintaining a presence in traditional sectors, Singaporean businesses are expanding into science-technology, innovation, digital transformation, logistics and the development of Vietnam International Financial Center.

The shift is becoming increasingly evident through new projects in finance, data centers, and high-tech research and manufacturing.

On July 1, UOB broke ground on UOB Plaza in HCMC, with total investment of about $450 million. Sembcorp, meanwhile, has been approved to invest in a large-scale, AI-ready data center campus in the city's High-Tech Park.

Another area of cooperation is emerging through a partnership between A*STAR and Becamex to establish the Vietnam Advanced Manufacturing Research Center.

These projects show that cooperation between HCMC and Singaporean partners is expanding from traditional investment areas into sectors with greater technological content and higher added value.

From VSIP to data, AI and finance

While technology, data and financial projects represent a new wave of investment, the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) remains one of the longest-standing symbols of Vietnam-Singapore investment cooperation.

Ha said that from a single industrial park in Binh Duong 30 years ago, the VSIP model has expanded across Vietnam and become a symbol of strategic trust, long-term vision and effective cooperation between the two countries.

In HCMC, Singaporean capital is also present in a number of large-scale real estate, urban complex and commercial projects.

Empire City in Thu Thiem has total registered investment of about $1.2 billion. Saigon Centre in the former District 1 has been developed in several phases, with total investment estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.

In the former District 7, SC VivoCity shopping center has investment capital of about $100 million. It is part of the 4.4-hectare Saigon South Place Complex developed by Mapletree, with total investment of about $360 million.

CapitaLand is also among the major Singaporean investors in HCMC's real estate market, with projects including Feliz en Vista, Vista Verde and De La Sol.

In the technology sector, OneHub Saigon in the city's High-Tech Park is a 12-hectare office and commercial park with registered investment capital of about $130 million.

The continued arrival of projects such as UOB Plaza and Sembcorp's data center campus suggests a new wave of Singaporean investment is taking shape alongside the real estate and industrial park projects that have established a strong presence over the years.

Singapore Consul General in HCMC Pang Te Cheng said cooperation between the two countries has entered a new phase since Vietnam and Singapore upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, expanding beyond trade and investment into the digital economy, innovation, green energy, new technologies, and human resource development.

For HCMC, cooperation with Singapore is increasingly focused on sectors with higher added value and greater technological content.

Beyond investment and trade, the two sides also maintain cooperation in education and training. Programs covering public administration, economic reform policy, and smart urban development have contributed to human resource training for the city.

People-to-people exchanges between HCMC and Singapore are also expanding, supported by their geographic proximity and growing tourism, business and educational exchanges.

Bilateral ties enter a new phase

The foundation for expanding economic cooperation between HCMC and Singapore has been strengthened alongside the development of bilateral relations.

Vietnam and Singapore upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in March 2025. The state visit to Singapore by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam in May 2026 further demonstrated the commitment of the two countries' top leaders to deepening bilateral ties.

City Vice Chairman Nguyen Loc Ha said Vietnam and Singapore have built a dynamic, substantive and effective partnership in Southeast Asia.

Cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore is therefore not only reflected in investment capital, but is expanding across technology, finance, logistics, education, human resource development and smart urban development.

Further opportunities for cooperation will also emerge from regional and international mechanisms.

Singapore will assume the ASEAN chairmanship in 2027, while Vietnam will host APEC 2027. The two sides expect priorities such as strengthening ASEAN centrality, connectivity and community building to complement APEC 2027's focus on connectivity, inclusive economic development, and resilience.

With more than $24 billion in registered capital, Singapore has established a substantial investment base in HCMC. But the more notable shift is in the direction of new capital flows, with high-tech industries, data centers, AI, finance, and advanced research and manufacturing becoming increasingly prominent in bilateral cooperation.