With the aim of preparing for investment in the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project, the North - South high-speed railway and urban railway routes, on March 21, the Ministry of Construction organized a workshop "Vietnamese enterprises with the Vietnam railway industry development program".

Recently, the Ministry of Construction has reported to the Politburo, the Government, and submitted to the National Assembly 3 important resolutions: Construction of high-speed railway on the North-South axis; construction of Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway; construction and development of urban railways in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

In the projects reported to the Politburo, the Ministry of Construction set a goal that by 2030, Vietnam will be able to master the survey, design and construction of railways with speeds of 160km/h or less and urban railways.

Regarding signal information, from 2030 onwards, start producing software and mastering control system equipment, electromechanical systems, and manufacturing locomotives and carriages domestically.

w train high speed11 1 1414.jpg
High-speed railway system in Laos. Photo: Hoang Ha

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Do Manh Cuong, Deputy General Director of FECON, said that the company has prepared human resources to participate in railway projects requiring high technology. Accordingly, since 2014, the company has sent a series of engineers, masters, and doctors to "wear the uniform of workers" abroad to learn.

Although he had prepared human resources quite early, Mr. Cuong said that he had recently participated in the construction of a metro line in the country but was still only a subcontractor.

Therefore, Mr. Cuong believes that it is necessary to create a legal corridor so that Vietnamese enterprises can approach work in a leading role, instead of being subcontractors for foreign contractors; assign domestic contractors to establish consortia, lead the consortia and if there is a lack of resources, hire foreign experts and consultants.

Danh Huy.jpg
Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Danh Huy speaks at the workshop. Photo: Ta Hai

In addition, the State needs to have policies and mechanisms for domestic enterprises to access preferential loan mechanisms, bidding and ordering mechanisms for Vietnamese contractors and manufacturers. In particular, it is necessary to purchase output products for technologies so that they can confidently invest.

“I believe that with a large enough market and a reasonable policy, domestic enterprises are willing to invest…”, Mr. Cuong said.

Similarly, Mr. Ho Sy Hoa, Chairman of Trung Chinh Construction and Trading Company Limited, said that currently, Vietnamese construction enterprises have almost completely mastered the technology, measures, and equipment for constructing tunnels and bridges.

Mr. Hoa said that domestic enterprises are currently waiting for the State to soon issue a framework for design standards, construction and acceptance standards, and standards for testing the quality of materials and construction items.

In addition, the Ministry of Construction needs to soon develop a plan on the mechanism to submit to the Government and the National Assembly on the solution for selecting contractors so that businesses have the basis, confidence, and opportunity to boldly invest in research, prepare resources, technology, and equipment. At the same time, businesses can learn about cooperation with domestic and foreign partners, avoiding being passive and having too much time.

Mr. Hoa affirmed that if assigned the bridge and tunnel projects, he would "get to work immediately and not waste any time".

In addition, enterprises such as the Military Industry - Telecommunications Group, Hoa Phat Group, Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, etc. also confirmed that they have prepared and are ready to participate in the project. However, the State needs to create a level playing field and have a policy for placing orders with enterprises.

In addition, the Government needs to have a mechanism to appoint EPC general contractors for the first projects, in which the participation of domestic enterprises is required to acquire and master technology.

In response to the business's proposal, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Danh Huy said he would accept all opinions to report to competent authorities, in order to propose specific and appropriate policies to facilitate domestic businesses to participate in modern railway projects in the coming time.