Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau Bridge in the northern province of Phu Tho and surveyed a planned section of the projected Lao Cai–Hanoi–Hai Phong railway which will run through the province.

The new bridge, spanning the Red River along National Highway 32C, will connect Phung Nguyen and Van Xuan communes. Measuring 383 meters in length, it carries a total investment of more than VND635 billion ($24.2 million).

Construction began in late 2024 under an emergency order after the old bridge collapsed during Typhoon Yagi in September of the same year.

While surveying the proposed railway route, PM Chinh highlighted its strategic importance as part of the Kunming–Hanoi–Hai Phong economic corridor, which links Vietnam with China, Central Asia, and Europe.

The Prime Minister instructed local authorities to prepare a separate site clearance plan and to begin land clearance on August 19.

The 419-km railway project, with a total investment of more than VND203 trillion ($7.71 billion), is scheduled to break ground in December 2025 and be completed by 2030.

The section running through Phu Tho province will stretch over 99 km, passing through 20 communes and wards, requiring 621 hectares of land and the relocation of more than 1,800 households.