At the event “Public Investment Motivation: Insider Perspective” hosted by HSC, Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy, CEO of Deo Ca Group, shared that Deo Ca is currently developing the Khe Net railway tunnel project in Quang Binh province.
“This is probably the first new railway tunnel project in almost 100 years in Vietnam. Our current North-South railway system is inherited from the French colonial era, and we have only been repairing and renovating it. With the Khe Net railway tunnel, we aim to complete it by the end of this year,” said Mr. Huy.
The Khe Net pass has a complex and treacherous terrain, located in Huong Hoa and Kim Hoa communes, Tuyen Hoa district, Quang Binh province, with a length of over 10 km. It includes 43 dangerous curves, an elevation of over 700 meters above sea level, and a slope of about 17 per mille.
Notably, the railway section through the Khe Net pass is a “bottleneck” that poses potential safety risks for trains on the North-South route. According to the route management unit, the railway section through the Khe Net pass has 32 narrow curves that require the use of guide rails. Passenger trains can only travel at 20-25 km/h in this area, while freight trains need an additional locomotive to push through.
For train drivers, the Khe Net pass is a test of their skills, especially when navigating through the pass at night or in foggy conditions.
The construction of the two Khe Net tunnels will allow trains to travel straight through without having to navigate the dangerous curves.
The Khe Net pass railway improvement project has a total length of 6,790 meters, starting at Km 413+700 in Huong Hoa commune and ending at Km 420+490 in Kim Hoa commune, Tuyen Hoa district, Quang Binh province.
With a total investment of VND 2,011 billion, the project is funded by ODA loans from the EDCF fund of the Korean Government and counterpart funds from the Vietnamese Government. It is expected to be completed and put into use in 2025.
The project consists of two packages, with package XL01 for the construction of two railway tunnels with a total length of 935 meters. The construction is scheduled to be completed within 23 months and is undertaken by the Ilsung – Deo Ca Group joint venture. Tunnel 1 has a length of 620 meters, Tunnel 2 is 393 meters long, and both tunnels have a cross-section of 10 meters, designed according to the technical standards of a first-class railway tunnel.
Tunnel 2 was officially broken through on October 30, 2024, and Tunnel 1 on June 8, 2025.
According to the report from the Package Management Board, the contractor has mobilized over 250 officers, engineers, and workers, along with 30 specialized equipment, to organize four simultaneous construction sites, operating in three shifts and four teams.
The management representative stated that the two Khe Net railway tunnels are unique in that they run along the mountain slope, with a thin overburden and complex geology that constantly changes, differing from the initial technical design. To address this, the contractor has coordinated with the investor and supervision consultant to closely monitor the site and propose appropriate reinforcement methods to ensure safety and quality according to the actual geology.
Additionally, the Management Board has faced challenges due to delays in site handover compared to the initial plan, along with obstacles in leasing land for the construction road and finding suitable locations for the waste dump. Specifically, some areas of the waste dump, which were planned on agricultural land, encountered difficulties in site clearance due to lack of compensation from the investor.
To ensure the progress of the project, the contractor has proactively proposed construction solutions, enhanced internal training to improve the productivity of engineers and workers, and maintained the three-shift, four-team operation. The contractor also regularly monitors the geology to promptly adjust reinforcement measures, ensuring the safety and quality of the project.
Mr. Nguyen Duy Song, Deputy Director of the Package Management Board, shared:
“We consider this not only as a construction task but also as a comprehensive test of our organizational capacity, technical expertise in tunnel construction, and adaptability to the unpredictable geology.”
The Khe Net railway tunnel is constructed using the NATM method, also known as the “Deo Ca System,” which has been applied in many large-scale tunnel projects nationwide.
According to the plan, Package XL01 is expected to be completed by December 2025.
In the next phase, the Management Board will focus on accelerating the completion of Tunnel 2 and implementing technical items such as waterproofing, improving the drainage system, and installing ventilation and lighting equipment.
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