With over 125 years of operation, Vietnam Railways has continually been developed and grown to become a State-owned corporation operating and maintaining all the infrastructure of the national railway network.

Milestones in VNR Development

- 1881 The first railway line in Vietnam and in Indochina with the length of 71 km between Saigon and My Tho was established

- 1898 "The railway network in Indochina and the railway line accessing into China" project was approved by the French Government and Parliament

- 1936 Completion of railway network in Vietnam with total length of 2600 km

- 1946 President Ho Chi Minh sent a letter to Vietnam Railways on 21 October praising the staff for their best services. Then the letter date is considered the Vietnam Railways Tradition Day.

- 1955 The Prime Minister promulgated a decision to establish General Railway Administration.

- 1976 After 36 years of separation, the rail line between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city was reunified connecting the North and the South of the country.

- 1990 The General Railway Administration was reformed to be the Vietnam Railway Union according to Decision No. 575/QD/TCCB-LD dated April 10, 1990 of Minister of Transport.

- 1999 The railway itineraries from the North to the South and vice versa were shortened from 58 hours (1988) to 32 hours (1999).

- 2000 The 2nd generation passenger cars were firstly manufactured by VNR. These cars have been supplied with new features and highly valued by the public.

- 2003 Establishment of Vietnam Railways Corporation based on the former Vietnam Railway Union under Decision No. 34/2003 QD-TTg dated March 4, 2003 of the Prime Minister

- 2005 The Law on Railways was approved by the National Assembly. It is the highest legal base for a sustainable development of VNR.