The VND 9 trillion (USD 342 million) first phase of the 17.59-kilometre project is being built around the clock, with the first rails due to be laid later this month.
As of early August, VND 1.8 trillion, or 28.7 per cent of the project's total investment, had been disbursed, while nearly 600 engineers, supervisors and workers were deployed across bridge, tunnel and earthworks.
Bridge foundations were about 63 per cent complete and bridge piers 56 per cent, while piling for tunnel sections had reached 97 per cent. Earthworks were also well advanced, with road excavation and formation at about 97 per cent, sand filling at 97 per cent and earth filling at 79 per cent.
The project has faced challenges from heavy seasonal rain, hard rock in tunnel sections and utility relocation, as well as coordination with the upgrading of Provincial Road DT.975 and drainage works.
Ground-level rail installation is due to begin by the end of August, followed by elevated and tunnel sections in October. The first trainsets are expected to arrive in early 2027 for installation and testing.
The line is scheduled to be substantially completed and enter trial operations in June 2027 before opening commercially in August.
Developed by Sun Group under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, the line will link Phu Quoc International Airport with the APEC Convention and Exhibition Centre, cutting travel time to the island's south to about 20 minutes.
