Paris (VNA) – Vietnam and France will promote collaboration in railway, sea and inland waterway transport under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently signed between Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang and Director of the French Development Agency (AFD) Phillipe Orliange.
The MoU was inked in the framework of the trip to France by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam for attendance at the 19th Francophonie Summit and an official visit to the country from October 3-7.
Accordingly, the two sides will work closely with each other in the planning work to facilitate energy transition, reduce emissions, enhance resilience and recovery, adapt to climate change, while carrying out an action plan on green energy transition of the transport sector. The AFD will support the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport (MoT) at international conferences and forums in prioritised cooperation areas, provide consultations and study to sponsor and transfer non-emission technologies, helping Vietnam develop transport infrastructure, vehicle and equipment.
At the signing ceremony, Minister Thang expressed his delight over the MoU signing in the domains of Vietnam’s interests to concretise its net-zero emissions commitment by 2050 at the 2015 and 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conferences.
Since Vietnam 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 Vietnam 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 besides several completed projects, they have joining hands to carry out the Nhon – Hanoi Station metro line, using funding from the AFD.
He took the occasion to thank the French agency for providing capital for Vietnam’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 Hanoi – Hai Phong railway renovation project, Thang said the ministry requested the French Embassy in Vietnam 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 Hanoi – Hai Phong railway, taking into account the future construction of the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong 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 Vietnam in building and developing high-speed railway, the sector of France’s strength and Vietnam’s interest./.
