HANOI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese Transport Ministry plans to submit in the 2019-2020 period to the Vietnamese government a project on building the first high-speed rail routes which will link capital Hanoi and central Vinh city, as well as Ho Chi Minh City and central Nha Trang city.

Construction of the high-speed rail routes between Hanoi and Vinh, as well as between Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang are expected to be completed by 2030 when the North-South expressway becomes overloaded, the ministry said on Wednesday.

Vietnam is considering schemes on constructing a high-speed North-South railway, which consists of many sections linking big cities and economic zones.

The new railway will allow trains to run at speeds from 160 to below 200 km per hour. In the long term, the railway will be upgraded, so that trains can travel at a speed of 350 km per hour.