Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the contract to supply and install the light rail system tracks, Phu Quoc LRT , Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Railways Corporation, representative of the contractor consortium, stated that building the 17.59 km light rail line on Phu Quoc island in just a matter of months is an extraordinary effort.
“We have undertaken many construction projects, but this is an unprecedented one. Building urban railway line number 1 on extremely difficult terrain, with unfavorable weather in Phu Quoc, along with urban electric train technology being applied for the first time in Vietnam, is truly an extraordinary effort”, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Railways Corporation shared.
Immediately after the groundbreaking ceremony, engineers and workers began the work of installing and calibrating rails at the construction site. This activity officially opens a new construction phase, as the project shifts from focusing on the rough construction to simultaneously implementing structural, technical, and technological system components. Photo: Hoan Nhu
Engineers conduct measurements and alignment of the rail position on the trackbed. With the high technical requirements of the urban railway system, each stage demands precision. Photo: Hoan Nhu
According to the plan, the official track laying work will commence in the roadbed area from km16, then shift focus to the elevated and underground sections from October 2026. The LRT line's track system uses a 1435 mm gauge, 60R2 groove, a rail head height of 180 mm, and a standard length of 25 m per rail, applicable to the entire line across all three segments: elevated, at-grade, and underground. Photo: Hoan Nhu
The Phu Quoc LRT line has a length of 17.59 km, connecting Phu Quoc International Airport with the APEC Convention and Exhibition Center and resort complexes, entertainment areas in the South Island. The project has a total investment of nearly 9,000 billion VND and is being implemented with continuous 3-shift operations to stay on schedule. Photo: Hoan Nhu
By early August 2026, the project had recorded an actual disbursement value of 1,800 billion VND. For the roadbed, excavation work had reached approximately 97%, sand filling had reached 97%, and earth filling had reached 79%. Photo: Hoan Nhu
At the bridge section on the Phu Quoc LRT line, the entire deep foundation bored pile system has been completed; pier caps have reached approximately 63% of the workload, and pier columns have reached approximately 56%. This is one of the important foundations for the project to move to the construction phases of the superstructure and the elevated railway system. Photo: Ho Giang
In the tunneling section, as of early August 2026, pile construction progress reached approximately 97%, while foundation excavation reached about 42%. This is one of the sections requiring safe and precise construction organization under the specific geological and weather conditions of Ngoc Island. Photo: Ho Giang
Alongside the breakneck progress, Phu Quoc LRT is causing a stir in the community with 6 stations designed as 6 cultural "touchpoints", recreating characteristic slices from the Northwest, Hanoi, Hue, Central Highlands, Saigon to Phu Quoc . These will be the first spaces to welcome heads of state and international delegates to Phu Quoc for APEC 2027, while also opening up a journey to discover Vietnamese culture for tourists from all over the world. Renderings: Sun Group
The project aims to complete trial runs in June 2027 and commence commercial operation in August 2027. Upon completion, the LRT line will shorten travel time from Phu Quoc International Airport to the APEC Convention and Exhibition Center and the southern island's resorts and entertainment areas to about 20 minutes, contributing to the formation of a green, modern, and synchronized transportation method for Ngoc Island. Photo credit: Sun Group
