Hanoi hires Chinese contractors to provide consulting for a $2.7 billion metro line. The Hanoi transportation department signed a cooperation memorandum with China Pacific Construction Group (CPCG) and Vietnam Construction Import and Export Corporation on Thursday. The deal will include the construction of the city's Metro Line 5, which costs $2.7 billion and extends from the city center to the western suburbs, with a total length of nearly 39 kilometers. The project was approved in 2011 and was originally planned to be constructed in two phases, starting in 2016 and completed in 2030 respectively. After the line is completed, the underground line will be 6.5 kilometers long, the elevated line will be 2 kilometers long, and the ground line will be 30 kilometers long. There will be a total of 21 stations and 2 depots. Eventually, the capital will have 10 lines with a total length of nearly 420 kilometers, including 75 kilometers of underground lines.