Việt Nam, France bolster transport cooperation

Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thắng (left) meets Director of the French Development Agency Phillipe Orliange on Saturday. — VNA/VNS Photo

PARIS — Việt Nam and France will promote collaboration in railway, sea, and inland waterway transport under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently signed between Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thắng and the Director of the French Development Agency (AFD) Phillipe Orliange.

The MoU was inked in the framework of the trip to France by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and State President Tô Lâm for an official trip to the country and attendance at the 19th Francophonie Summit from October 3 to 7.

Accordingly, the two sides will work closely with each other in the planning work to facilitate energy transition, reduce emissions, enhance resilience and recovery, and adapt to climate change, while carrying out an action plan for green energy transition of the transport sector.

The AFD will support the transport ministry at international conferences and forums in prioritised cooperation areas, provide consultations and study to sponsor and transfer non-emission technologies, helping Việt Nam develop transport infrastructure, vehicles, and equipment.

At the signing ceremony, Minister Thắng expressed his delight over the MoU signing in the domains of Việt Nam’s interests to concretise its net-zero emissions commitment by 2050 at the 2015 and 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conferences.

Since Việt Nam and France established their diplomatic relations in 1973, they have promoted comprehensive cooperation and maintained regular dialogue mechanisms in the domains of economy, politics, culture, and defence, he said, adding the European country is currently the fourth-largest trading partner of Việt Nam in the EU, and accounts for a lion share of the trade relations between the nation and the bloc.

Transport cooperation is among the priorities that the two countries have bolstered over the past year, including that in aviation, railway, maritime, and land road, he stressed, elaborating that besides several completed projects, they have joined hands to carry out the Nhổn-Hà Nội Station metro line, using funding from the AFD.

He took the occasion to thank the French agency for providing capital for Việt Nam’s railway infrastructure development and expressed his hope that under the assistance and sound coordination from the agency, the project will become operational as planned by the end of 2024.

Regarding the Hà Nội-Hải Phòng railway renovation project, Thắng said the ministry requested the French Embassy in Việt Nam and the AFD to provide technical support and make a feasibility study for the project, helping improve the operation capacity and efficacy of the existing Hà Nội-Hải Phòng railway, taking into account the future construction of the Lào Cai-Hà Nội–Hải Phòng railway.

Philippe Orliange, for his part, spoke highly of the MoU signing, considering it a new step to consolidate the dynamic and positive cooperation between the ministry and agency and the two countries as a whole.

He said that he is willing to promote the implementation of the MoU, affirming he stands ready to share experience and provide capital support for Việt Nam in building and developing high-speed railway, the sector of France’s strength, and Việt Nam’s interest. — VNS