Vietnamese contractors form consortium to build high-speed railway.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hiep, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Construction Contractors, affirmed that Vietnamese businesses are fully capable, qualified, and technologically proficient in constructing high-speed railway projects.

The revolution is transforming the construction industry.

Speaking at the seminar "High-Speed Railways - Opportunities and Challenges for Vietnamese Businesses" organized by the Transport Newspaper this morning (November 19), Mr. Hiep said that the North-South high-speed railway project involves a very large volume of construction, amounting to more than 33 billion USD.

No project of this scale and capital has ever been undertaken in Vietnam before.

Hình thành liên danh nhà thầu Việt, — Overview of the seminar "High-speed rail - Opportunities and challenges for Vietnamese businesses".

"This is a revolution, a complete transformation for construction contractors. Although the project is not overly difficult technologically, its scale is enormous. Vietnamese contractors need to be aware that this is a new technological battlefield and need to learn and absorb the most advanced knowledge," Mr. Hiep said.

From a policy perspective, Mr. Hiep expressed concern that, according to the Bidding Law, when selecting a contractor, the basis for determining the contractor's capacity must be having previously completed 1-2 projects of a similar scale.

However, the high-speed rail project is the first of its kind in Vietnam. Based on this criterion, Vietnamese businesses would find it difficult to participate in the bidding process.

For example, when Vincom was building the Landmark 81 building in Saigon 7-8 years ago, no contractor in Vietnam met the criteria of having previously constructed an 80-story building. However, Vincom still decided to choose Coteccons based on their assessment of the contractor's capabilities, and indeed, the project was a success.

"Therefore, the management agency needs to review the mechanisms and policies to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to develop their capabilities," Mr. Hiep said, adding that the Association will soon organize a meeting between leading Vietnamese contractors to discuss and propose mechanisms, including suggesting that contractor experience will be one of the criteria for selecting contractors to participate in projects.

Sharing the view that Vietnamese contractors can undertake construction and other components, Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy, General Director of Deo Ca Group, affirmed that this is a great opportunity for domestic businesses. However, Vietnamese businesses will have to overcome many challenges in technology and engineering.

Form alliances and partnerships to avoid losing on home ground.

While fully confident in the capabilities of Vietnamese businesses, Mr. Nguyen Duc Kien, former head of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Group, noted that the linkages and cooperation for development among Vietnamese businesses are very weak.

If Vietnamese businesses do not proactively cooperate to invest in cutting-edge technology, it will be very difficult to win when the bidding process opens.

"If Vietnamese businesses don't cooperate and invest in technology themselves, they will lose in their own backyard. Regarding macroeconomic policies, they have been carefully prepared, although not all potential problems have been foreseen. However, I think things will be fine with our experienced, capable, and determined staff who are committed to contributing to the country. We can handle these issues, starting with infrastructure development," Mr. Kien said.

In strong agreement with Mr. Kien and Mr. Hiep's assessment of contractor capabilities, Colonel Nguyen Tuan Anh, Deputy General Director of Truong Son Construction Corporation, shared: "This is a great opportunity for Vietnamese contractors. If we are not well prepared, Vietnamese businesses will lose on their home turf."

Currently, Vietnamese contractors' equipment meets the requirements, but when working on high-speed rail projects, newer technology and more discipline are needed, especially regarding the precision of the machinery.

Besides individual efforts, businesses need to coordinate with each other. The North-South Expressway Phase 2 has demonstrated excellent coordination in this regard, which is a positive sign. Previously, construction companies often competed fiercely, but recently they have shown good support and interaction. This should be further developed when implementing high-speed rail and other railway systems.

Regarding the complex and unique technical characteristics of high-speed rail, Mr. Dao Ngoc Vinh, General Director of the Transport Engineering Design Consulting Corporation (Tedi), stated that railway systems differ from road systems in their higher complexity and systemic operation, comprising numerous components such as infrastructure, signaling, equipment, and power supply.

"The construction of high-speed railways requires absolute precision; no errors are allowed, otherwise it will become a major safety problem," Mr. Vinh said.

However, Tedi's leadership also affirmed: That doesn't mean we can't do it, because current construction companies have already completed many complex projects such as arch bridges and exceptionally large, highly intricate cable-stayed bridges.

For projects of such exceptionally large scale and complex technical nature, Mr. Mai Thanh Phuong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Railway Construction Corporation (RCC), believes that preparing for a high-speed rail project requires attention to resources and equipment.

Regarding resources, according to Mr. Phuong, Vietnam is exporting a large amount of labor, so why not import high-quality labor, from management positions, equipment operation engineers, and workers, and create joint ventures with foreign countries to be ready to participate in projects?

Regarding the legal system, it is necessary to refer to the legal procedures for implementing high-speed rail projects in countries around the world such as China and Japan. Businesses, upon learning about these procedures, should share information with each other, thereby forming joint ventures among Vietnamese contractors.

Right now, the focus should be on collaborative research teams and dividing tasks according to the strengths of each unit and enterprise.

Vietnamese businesses need to focus on their strengths to invest in preparation, anticipate trends, and create uniformity and synergy among participating contractors, preparation work, and supporting businesses.

"This is a national product that deserves our dedication," Mr. Phuong said.

According to Mr. Phuong, the high-speed rail network is the backbone, along with new railway lines planned for the next 30-50 years. Therefore, businesses need to prepare now and focus on meeting the requirements of the State.

One solution is to form joint ventures and import foreign labor and technology. In Vietnam, Vinfast is a prime example. They succeeded, and transportation businesses can do it too.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/hinh-thanh-lien-danh-nha-thau-viet-bat-tay-lam-duong-sat-toc-do-cao-192241119182332829.htm