This is the 4th annual Ho Chi Minh City construction update at Future Southeast Asia. (If you are new to the site, here are the updates for 2019, 2020, and 2021.) This update features some of the most prominent projects that are under construction, and projects that have had noteable news updates over the past […]
About James Clark
Laos-China Railway review – observations while riding the train from Vientiane to Boten
The Laos-China Railway opened in December 2021, and I would have tried to get a ticket on the inaugural trip had the borders been open. I was in Thailand when Laos reopened on the 9th of May, so I took the opportunity to visit shortly thereafter. I have written a trip report from a traveller’s […]
Vientiane construction update – 2022 edition
Vientiane has some big projects lined up in order to attract more investment in the capital. Like most cities in the region though, Vientiane was hit hard by the extended international border closure during the pandemic. Laos reopened in May 2022 (over two years since the borders closed), and I went to Vientiane shortly thereafter […]
That Luang Lake SEZ – Vientiane Laos
That Luang Lake SEZ is a new urban area in Vientiane designated as a special economic zone. Also referred to as That Luang Marsh Specific Economic Zone, the area of 365 hectares is expected to accommodate up to 300,000 people. The development is centred around a round ornamental lake, and there are plans to build […]
Future Boten – The gateway city on the Laos-China border
Boten is a town in Northern Laos on the border of China. It is one of the main entry points for freight from China to Southeast Asia, and it has been designated as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). A casino opened in Boten in 2002 to attract gamblers from China (where gambling is illegal in […]
Vientiane BRT – Urban Transit System
Vientiane has a proposed to build a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system as part of a planned sustainable transport system for the city. This page includes links and resources to any planned urban transit systems that are proposed for Vientiane. Other proposals in the past have included a Light Rail Transit (LRT) and a commuter […]
Proposed speeds of the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City Express Railway
Should the future Vietnam North-South Express Railway be a high-speed or semi-high-speed railway? Vietnam is planning to commence construction of the North-South express railway in 2028-2029. Even with years of feasibility studies and consultancy reports, no decision has been made on how fast the new railway should be. The fastest proposal has called for a […]
Da Nang construction update – 2022 edition
After nearly two years since the international borders closed, Vietnam reopened to the world in March 2022. As soon as I was able to return I went to Da Nang. My last construction report for Da Nang was in the first year of the lockout in November 2020. Few would have predicted that the country […]
Panay Railway
The Panay Railway is a proposed restoration of the railway on the island of Panay in the Philippines. The original Panay line ran from Iloilo City to Roxas City. The service operated from 1906 to 1985, with cargo operations ending in 1989. This railway was operated by Panay Railways, which also operated the Cebu line. […]
Binh Thuan construction update – 2022 edition
Bình Thuan Province in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam is best known for the beach resorts of Phan Thiet and Mui Ne. It doesn’t have the level of tourism of Nha Trang and Da Nang (not having an airport is a major factor), but it has its own niche of visitors. In the […]
