Spain offers to contribute expertise to develop Vietnam's railways

This content was raised by the Spanish side at the first meeting of the two countries' Joint Committee on economic, trade and investment cooperation, co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam Phan Thi Thang co-chaired the first meeting of the Vietnam - Spain Joint Committee on economic, trade and investment cooperation in Madrid, Spain on October 28 - Photo: Ministry of Industry and Trade

On October 28 in Madrid, Spain, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam Phan Thi Thang and Secretary of State for Trade, Ministry of Economy , Trade and Enterprise of Spain Amparo López Senovilla co-chaired the first meeting of the Vietnam - Spain Joint Committee on economic, trade and investment cooperation.

The event marked the first time the two sides established a periodic dialogue mechanism to review, exchange and propose measures to promote comprehensive cooperation, remove obstacles and identify priority areas in the coming time.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang said that bilateral trade between Vietnam and Spain has developed impressively since the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) took effect in August 2020.

In 2024, two-way trade turnover will reach a record 4.72 billion USD, up nearly 20% over the previous year, making Spain Vietnam's 5th largest trading partner in the European Union (EU). Ms. Thang expects both sides to make efforts to bring bilateral turnover to over 8 billion USD in the coming time.

Agreeing with Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang, Spanish Secretary of State for Trade Amparo López Senovilla highly appreciated the results the two sides have achieved in trade cooperation, and expressed his desire to continue cooperating with Vietnam in areas where Spain has strengths in technology.

In the energy sector, Spain is interested in promoting cooperation with Vietnam in the field of renewable energy, especially solar and wind energy.

The two sides also expressed their desire to promote cooperation in the railway sector and stressed that Spain's expertise can make a positive contribution to the development of Vietnam's railway system.

The Spanish side affirmed its readiness to provide comprehensive solutions for national and urban railway projects, as well as expand cooperation in strategic consulting, design, project management and test operations.

The two sides also agreed to strengthen agricultural cooperation, taking advantage of incentives from the EVFTA to help each country's agricultural and food products better access each other's markets. Vietnam asked Spain to support the European Commission (EC) in lobbying to soon remove the IUU "yellow card" warning for Vietnamese seafood.

In addition, the two sides expressed their desire to establish direct flights between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with Madrid and Barcelona, ​​to promote trade, investment and tourism.

As of September 2025, Spain had 101 investment projects in Vietnam with a total capital of 158.2 million USD, ranking 44th out of 153 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. In the opposite direction, Vietnam has invested about 65.8 million USD in Spain.

NGHI VU

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tay-ban-nha-de-xuat-dong-gop-chuyen-mon-de-phat-trien-duong-sat-viet-nam-20251029155717038.htm