Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at Thaco corporation, Feb. 8, 2025. Photo courtesy of the governmental portal
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has requested automaker and automaker Thaco to look into manufacturing trains for high-speed railways.
At a meeting with Thaco on Saturday, Chinh said the corporation has had high-quality products with appropriate prices, and has utilized digitization and automation, focusing on research and development as well.
Therefore, Chinh has requested the firm to look into technological transference and manufacturing for trains and engines for high-speed railways.
The North-South high-speed railway project, approved by the National Assembly late last year, spans 1,541 km and running through 20 localities. It has 23 passenger stations and five goods stations. The project is aimed to be completed in 2035.
Vietnam plans to build high-speed railways using the national budget, and with little dependence on foreign technology, Nguyen Danh Huy, deputy transport minister, said last year.
Foreign contractors who want to join the project must use domestically produced goods and services. The transport sector has already had a team on contractors who can build the roads and tunnels for the project themselves.
The government may appoint top businesses in railway manufacturing, infrastructures and information technology to join in the project, experts said. Previously, certain domestic businesses have expressed their desire to join in on the project. Tran Dinh Long, chairman of Hoa Phat, said the firm is capable enough to produce steel for the project, while the Deo Ca corporation has requested for Vietnamese businesses to be invited to build tunnels and bridges for the project.
