Hanoi (VNA) ⛎- Vietnam and the UK are seeking to boost aviation and railway cooperation, a priority underscored during a working session in Hanoi on July 29 between Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh and UK Ambassador to Vietnam 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 Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and London’s Heathrow Airport. In the first five months of 2025, these routes carried 61,000 passengers, a 9% rise from the previous year, with an average seat occupancy rate of nearly 87%. Highlighting Vietnam as one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing aviation markets, Minh noted a projected annual passenger growth rate of 5-6%, with targets of 150 million passengers by 2035 and 200 million by 2040, nearly doubling the 2019 figure. He mentioned Vietnam’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 Thanh International Airport project’s first phase, expected to be completed later this year, as a milestone that will elevate Vietnam’s standing in global and regional aviation. The minister welcomed the proposed partnership between UK-based Swire Group and Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO) in developing an aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul centre at Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh province. The project, he said, would serve both domestic aviation sector and a quality support industry value chain. On railway development, he outlined Vietnam’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 Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh 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 350 km/h. The total estimated investment is over 67 billion USD, 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 Vietnam, established in 2010, and expressed delight at the rise in bilateral trade, which surpassed 8 billion USD in 2024. He recalled a June meeting between the British Business Group Vietnam (BBGV) and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, 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./.