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| Minister of Construction Trần Hồng Minh and UK Ambassador to Việt Nam Iain Frew had a meeting in Hà Nội on July 29. — Photo from the Ministry of Construction |
HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and the United Kingdom are seeking to boost aviation and railway cooperation, a priority underscored during a working session in Hà Nội on Tuesday between Minister of Construction Trần Hồng Minh and UK Ambassador to Việt Nam Iain Frew.
Minister Minh acknowledged the productive partnership in the construction and transport sectors, particularly in aviation, climate-compatible growth (CCG), digital transformation, and building information modeling (BIM).
He described aviation as a key cooperation area, pointing to the 2011 air transport agreement that has enabled Vietnam Airlines to operate direct flights between HCM City, Hà Nội, and London’s Heathrow Airport. In the first five months of 2025, these routes carried 61,000 passengers, a 9 per cent rise from the previous year, with an average seat occupancy rate of nearly 87 per cent.
Highlighting Việt Nam as one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing aviation markets, Minh noted a projected annual passenger growth rate of 5-6 per cent, with targets of 150 million passengers by 2035 and 200 million by 2040, nearly doubling the 2019 figure. He mentioned Việt Nam's achievement of Category 1 certification in aviation safety oversight, which has bolstered its international connectivity.
He further underscored the ongoing construction of the Long Thành International Airport project’s first phase, expected to be completed later this year, as a milestone that will elevate Việt Nam's standing in global and regional aviation.
The minister welcomed the proposed partnership between UK-based Swire Group and HAECO Electrical Mechanical JSC in developing an aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul centre at Vân Đồng International Airport in Quảng Ninh Province. The project, he said, would serve both domestic aviation sector and a quality support industry value chain.
On railway development, he outlined Việt Nam's plans, guided by the Politburo’s orientations through 2030, with a vision extending to 2045. The goal is to establish a modern, integrated rail network to drive rapid and sustainable socio-economic development. Rail infrastructure, he said, will be pivotal for the North-South economic corridor, key East-West transport axes, and urban passenger transport.
The Vietnamese Government is hastening several key projects, including cross-border rail connections with China, the North–South high-speed railway, and urban rail lines in Hà Nội and HCM City. The high-speed rail project along the North–South axis, recently approved in principle by the National Assembly, will span about 1,541 km with standard-gauge tracks, designed for speeds up to 350km/h. The total estimated investment is over US$67 billion, with targeted completion set for 2035. Minh underscored the project's complexity and importance to Vietnam’s development and expressed a strong need for expertise from international consultancy firms.
Ambassador Frew, in reply, reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to the strategic partnership with Việt Nam, established in 2010, and expressed delight at the rise in bilateral trade, which surpassed $8 billion in 2024.
He recalled a June meeting between the British Business Group Vietnam (BBGV) and Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, which focused on fostering trade and investment ties. The UK Government, he noted, has been working with Vietnamese partners to support human resource development in the global infrastructure programme, introduce construction contracts and encourage BIM adoption.
The guest hoped to learn more about the ministry’s upcoming priority infrastructure projects, especially those where UK companies have strong expertise, adding that infrastructure, digital transformation, and green growth hold ample potential for expanded collaboration. — VNA/VNS