Technology and cooperation: The foundation for Vietnam's future railway

Modern technology - shaping the future of railways

Within the framework of "Vietnam Industry and Technology Week 2025" at the Vietnam Exhibition Center on the morning of November 13, a discussion on "Advanced technology and solutions for developing Vietnam's railway infrastructure" took place.

Vietnam’s railway industry is facing a historic turning point, with a strategic orientation to develop the North-South high-speed railway network and modernize urban railway lines. To turn this vision into reality, accessing, mastering and applying the world ’s advanced technologies is a key factor.

*Scene of the discussion. Photo: Thanh Tuan*

At the seminar, Prof. Dr. Bui Tien Thanh, Head of the Faculty of Construction, University of Transport, said that the seminar not only introduced technical solutions, technologies and optimal options for high-speed railways, but was also organized as an open forum.

“ We especially emphasize the 'three-house' approach: State, School and Enterprise. This will be the foundation for us to not only solve the technical problems of the high-speed railway project, but also ensure the entire operation, exploitation, maintenance, safety and connection. Thereby, we meet the requirements of the Party and Government to not only form the North-South high-speed railway line, but also move towards building a railway industry, a modern railway economy , serving the growing needs of society and in line with new development trends ”, emphasized Prof. Dr. Bui Tien Thanh.

*Prof. Dr. Bui Tien Thanh, Head of the Faculty of Construction, University of Transport, spoke at the seminar. Photo: Thanh Tuan*

At the seminar, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Phich, Chairman of the Vietnam Underground Construction Association (VTA), shared about the difficulties in constructing high-speed railway tunnels. According to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Phich, Vietnam has a lot of experience in constructing underground works, especially in the field of hydropower with hundreds of tunnels of different sizes and geological conditions.

“ Recently, we have also carried out many traffic tunnel projects across the country, many businesses have developed their capacity and technology to complete these items. However, in reality, underground construction always faces difficulties, especially technical difficulties during the construction process, ” said the Chairman of VTA.

With these difficulties, Professor Nguyen Quang Phich informed that the international underground construction industry and equipment suppliers have proposed many technological and management solutions to minimize the difficulties.

“ In technology, monitoring and measuring measures during construction play an extremely important role. We use surveying methods such as electronic total stations to observe tunnel deformation, and use geotechnical equipment to measure displacement, tilt, pressure, and stress, etc., ” said the VTA Chairman.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Phich recommends that when participating in tunnel construction, Vietnamese enterprises need to carefully research, choose suitable machinery and require suppliers to fully equip themselves with monitoring, measuring and supervision systems during the construction process.

International cooperation promotes high-speed rail

Also at the seminar, Mr. Frédéric Milliet, Regional Business Director, Vossloh AG Group (Group specializing in railway infrastructure systems) affirmed its commitment to accompany the development of Vietnam's railway.

Mr. Frédéric Milliet emphasized the strong development potential of the North-South high-speed railway network, metro lines in Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City and routes connecting key economic zones.

According to Mr. Frédéric Milliet, Vossloh is ready to cooperate with Vietnam on three main pillars: transferring technology to produce modern railway materials, training technical human resources associated with developing domestic supply chains, and piloting railway infrastructure maintenance solutions and infrastructure digitalization technology in Vietnam.

*Mr. Frédéric Milliet, Regional Sales Director, Vossloh AG Group. Photo: Thanh Tuan*

Regarding the cooperation and localization strategy, Vossloh representative added that the Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Vinh Hung Group, aiming to localize the production of rail couplings and railway marking equipment in Vietnam. Thereby, transferring technology, creating jobs and increasing localization value, in line with the "Made in Vietnam" orientation.

Vossloh products and services are developed according to the “Green Mobility” philosophy, aiming to reduce carbon emissions, improve operational efficiency and prolong the life of railway infrastructure.

“ On that basis, Vossloh proposes to build a long-term cooperation model with Vietnam in the fields of research, technical standards development, human resource training and technology transfer, thereby contributing to the goal of developing a green, smart and sustainable railway system, ” said Mr. Frédéric Milliet.

Also within the framework of the discussion, Dr. Ratnakar R. Mahajan, Technical Manager for India, Southeast Asia and the Pacific of Maccaferri Group (a group specializing in providing advanced solutions in civil engineering and geotechnical engineering) emphasized that the development of modern railway infrastructure must go hand in hand with environmental sustainability. According to him, Maccaferri's solutions are designed based on three core values: using recycled materials to minimize the exploitation of new resources, reducing carbon emissions throughout the entire life cycle of the project and protecting biodiversity in areas affected by the project.

Maccaferri representatives also affirmed their long-term commitment to the Vietnamese market through strong support for the “Made in Vietnam” initiative. “ The Group is implementing a strategic cooperation with Vinh Hung to transfer technology, share international experience and bring advanced technical solutions into domestic production. The goal is to help Vietnam own international standard infrastructure products within the country, while promoting self-reliance, increasing localization value and contributing to the green and sustainable development orientation of the future railway industry ,” said Dr. Ratnakar R. Mahajan.

Providing more information at the seminar, Prof. Dr. Bui Tien Thanh, Head of the Faculty of Construction, University of Transport, said that only when Vietnam masters the technology, can it truly be proactive in operating, maintaining and mastering the game of modern railway infrastructure.

Mastering technology, localizing materials and long-term cooperation with international corporations are considered the keys to bringing Vietnam's railways closer to global standards. Photo: Thanh Tuan

The Head of the Faculty of Engineering emphasized that the criteria of an advanced transport system, which are “fast, convenient and cost-effective”, depend entirely on whether we can turn international knowledge and technology into endogenous capacity. And this capacity is the foundation for the railway industry to develop sustainably, without dependence or passivity.

According to Prof. Dr. Bui Tien Thanh, the greatest significance of the seminar is not only in introducing the world's latest technologies, but more importantly, in opening a forum for Vietnam to access international standard knowledge right from the project preparation stage. The frank exchanges and concise presentations from leading domestic and international experts have provided a comprehensive perspective on each component of the high-speed railway.

“ This is also the process of 'laying the first brick' to form technological capacity for Vietnam with human resource training, building standards, choosing the right technical solutions, and moving towards technology acceptance and localization. When the three pillars of the State, schools and enterprises participate from the beginning, the technology transfer process will become a transformation of capacity, from learning to autonomy, from installation to innovation, from operation to mastering the entire project life cycle ”, emphasized Prof. Dr. Bui Tien Thanh.

The seminar is not only a technical event, but also an important preparatory step to help us get closer to the goal of building a modern, green, smart and sustainable railway system.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/cong-nghe-va-hop-tac-nen-tang-cho-duong-sat-tuong-lai-viet-nam-430261.html