Origin of Vietnam's railway, built by the French 120 years ago.

More than 100 Years of the formation of Vietnam Railway

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Every year, September 2nd marks a significant historical milestone for Vietnam. This event not only commemorates the day the country gained independence but also signifies the completion of the North-South Railway, a project of immense importance for the nation's development.

The idea for a railway line running the length of the country, then known as the Transindochinois railway – meaning "Cross-Indochina" – was first conceived by the Governor-General of Indochina, Jean Marie Antoine de Lanessan.

During that era, railway and tramway lines in Indochina were typically contracted and built by private companies. However, from its inception, the Transindochinois railway was owned by the Chemins de Fer de l'Indochine (CFI), a company operated by the French government, commonly known as Réseaux non concédés (state railway network – not franchised to any company). The 1,730km-long railway was constructed in five separate phases and took nearly 40 years to complete.

Initially, to transport carriages for these first railway sections, the CFI purchased a Société Franco-Belge 4-4-0 steam locomotive, also known as “Américaines” due to their resemblance to American steam locomotives. However, these locomotives were quickly replaced by newer and more powerful 4-6-0 locomotives, manufactured by French enterprises such as Société française de constructions mécaniques (SFCM) – the same company that first built the Trường Tiền Bridge, now the global electrical equipment group Schneider SA, Anciens Établissements J. F. Cail, and later the Japanese Mitsui Company. The “Ten-wheel” locomotives were primarily used for passenger transport, while the older “Américaines” locomotives mainly transported freight.

The first three sections of this railway line were completed before the outbreak of World War I. The first section ran from Hanoi to Vinh - Bến Thủy port, 322km long, built from 1898 to 1905 and inaugurated on March 17, 1905, with a total cost of 43 million Francs – the French currency before 1999. The second section ran from Da Nang to Dong Ha (Quang Tri province), built from 1899 to 1908, 175km long, costing 32 million Francs, and inaugurated on September 5, 1908. The third section ran from Saigon to Nha Trang, 408km long, built from 1904 to 1913, along with a 40km section of the Thap Cham - Da Lat railway, inaugurated on October 2, 1913, with a total cost of 69 million Francs.

Picture Below : Governor René Robin and Emperor Bảo Đại attended the completion ceremony on September 2, 1936.

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