On July 29th, 2025, in Hanoi, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh had a meeting and worked with Mr. Iain Frew - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Vietnam on enhancing cooperation between the two sides in the fields of infrastructure, transportation, especially in the railway and aviation sectors. Leaders of units under the Ministry of Construction; officials and experts of the British Embassy in Vietnam; representatives of Arup Group, Swire Group, Rolls Royce Group attended the meeting.
At the meeting, Ambassador Iain Frew emphasized the good cooperation relationship between the UK and Vietnam in many fields, especially railways and aviation; actively supported Vietnam in improving the quality of human resources, promoting connectivity and cooperation in digital transformation and BIM (Building Information Modeling).
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Minister Tran Hong Minh received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Vietnam
According to Ambassador Iain Frew, the two sides still have a lot of potential for cooperation in other areas such as infrastructure, digital transformation, green development, trade, ... He recalled a June meeting between the British Business Group in Vietnam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh which focused on fostering trade and investment ties. He also expressed special interest in the priority programs and projects of the Ministry of Construction in the coming time.
At the meeting, representatives of Arup Group and Swire Group shared with Minister Tran Hong Minh general information about the Group as well as the Group's development orientations and strategies and plans to expand cooperation in Vietnam, especially in the fields of infrastructure development, transportation, and railways.
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Overview of working session.
At the meeting, 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).
Minh noted that 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.
Minister Tran Hong Minh and Ambassador Iain Frew took a photo at the working session.
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.
Welcoming the cooperation of Arup Group in the railway sector in Vietnam and the cooperation between Swire Group and Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO) in the Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Inspection Center (MRO) project at Van Don Airport, Minister Tran Hong Minh assessed that this is an important cooperation model, both directly serving the development needs of the domestic aviation industry and creating a high-quality supporting industry value chain.
At the end of the meeting, Minister Tran Hong Minh and Ambassador Iain Frew agreed to further strengthen cooperation between the two sides in the coming time. The Minister believes that, as a bridge between the UK Government and Vietnam, Ambassador Iain Frew will continue to support and accompany the Ministry of Construction in the implementation of strategic cooperation programs, for the sustainable development and prosperity of both countries.