Details of the stations and land requirements have been outlined in the project's environmental impact assessment, which is under consultation.
The railway will stretch over 120 km through Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Haiphong and Quang Ninh, requiring more than 568 hectares of land. Quang Ninh accounts for over 286 hectares, Haiphong 218 hectares, Hanoi 44 hectares and Bac Ninh 19 hectares.
The five stations will be Co Loa, Gia Binh, Ninh Xa, Yen Tu and Halong Xanh.
Co Loa Station, near the Vietnam Exposition Centre in Dong Anh Commune, Hanoi, will cover about 35.58 hectares, with a further 6.12 hectares set aside for a train stabling yard.
Gia Binh Station in Bac Ninh will cover about 7.48 hectares, followed by Ninh Xa Station in Haiphong at 7.14 hectares and Yen Tu Station in Quang Ninh at 10.6 hectares.
Ha Long Xanh, the terminal and largest station, will cover about 37.88 hectares and include a depot for train stabling, cleaning, maintenance and repairs.
Together, the Co Loa and Ha Long Xanh terminals will cover about 73.46 hectares, excluding the Co Loa stabling yard.
The stations form part of the project's total land requirement of over 568 hectares, about 17 hectares more than under the previously approved plan.
The railway is being developed by VinSpeed High-Speed Rail Investment and Development JSC at an estimated cost of over VND 147 trillion (USD 5.6 billion), excluding land clearance.
The fully electrified, double-track line will use a standard gauge of 1,435 mm and have a maximum design speed of 350 km/h.
Trains are expected to run every 60 minutes when the line opens in 2028. Peak-hour services are planned every 30 minutes by 2030 and every 20 minutes by 2035.
The railway is scheduled for completion and commercial operation in 2028, cutting travel time between Hanoi and Quang Ninh to about 23 minutes.
Compensation, support and resettlement will be handled under a separate public investment project and are not included in the railway's investment cost. Land clearance is estimated at VND 10.27 trillion.
