HANOI -- The China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) on Monday kicked off construction of a light rail and depot project in Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

Vietnamese Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang, Head of the Hanoi People's Council Nguyen The Thao, Chinese Embassy Charge d' affaires Jiang Zaidong and representatives of the general contractor for the project, the Sixth Bureau of the CREC, attended the ground breaking ceremony.

Addressing the ceremony, Thang said the Vietnamese government attaches great importance to improving transportation infrastructure and solving the traffic congestion in big cities. Cac Linh-Ha Dong urban rail project is an important part in Hanoi urban rail network in the future. The project will effectively alleviate traffic congestion and promote economic development in the capital.

Jiang said the project is of special significance on the occasion of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's upcoming visit to China and the 20th anniversary of normalization of China-Vietnam relations.

"The project will strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Vietnam. I hope the project contractor and the Vietnamese authorities will work together to complete the project with success and make a positive contribution to further the China- Vietnam friendship and cooperation," he said.

Zhao Zhanhu, general manager of CREC Sixth Bureau, said the bureau, with rich experience in rail construction and a scientific management system, will apply the scientific and technological advantages to the project to ensure the project to be completed on schedule with first-class quality.

With a total investment of $553 million loan from the Chinese government, the Cac Linh-Ha Dong urban light rail project is designed with a total length of 13.04 km and 12 stations.