A senior French diplomat has said that his country wishes to contribute
its advanced technical expertise to the development of urban railway
systems in Vietnam, especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Fabrice Mauries, Consul General of France in Ho
Chi Minh City, made the remark on May 28 at a seminar with leading
Vietnamese and French experts in rail transport and urban planning,
adding that it is a concrete illustration of the bilateral partnership
between the two countries.
The event, which was held
in this southern economic hub by the French Embassy in Vietnam, the
French Agency for International Business Development in Vietnam and
the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Unit, is part of economic
activities to mark Vietnam-France Year.
The
diplomat said that developing urban railway systems is an important area
in the France-Vietnam partnership, which is manifested by the
construction of a pilot line in Hanoi with a majority of French
financial assistance.
With annual GDP growth
of 7 percent over the past 20 years, population growth of one million
people per annum and the fast speed of urbanisation, experts say
Vietnam needs an urban railway network to meet growing socio-economic
demand.
The seminar created an avenue for the
Vietnamese side to update information on its fledgling urban railway and
planning, and for the French side as well as international firms to
seek opportunities for railway construction projects in Vietnam,
said Hoang Nhu Cuong, Vice Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban
Railway Management Unit.
Discussions touched upon
related issues such as the creation of future railway lines, ticket
systems, public transport infrastructure planning, and the control of
risks, safety and working conditions.
Hanoi is
planning to build eight urban railway lines, of which four having been
implemented, in Ho Chi Minh City, the figure is 10, including one tram
and two monorail routes, according to data presented at the seminar.-VNA