On August 21st, 2026, in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Danh Huy received and held a working session with Mr. Petr Novotný, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Škoda Group; Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Chairman of Thanh Cong Group; and members of the Škoda Group – Thanh Cong Consortium delegation to discuss orientations for cooperation in railway and urban railway development, public transportation, and the development of Vietnam’s railway industry.
At the meeting, Mr. Petr Novotný and Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan expressed their appreciation to Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy and leaders of the Ministry of Construction’s affiliated agencies for making time to receive and work with the delegation.
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Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy spoke at the meeting.
Mr. Petr Novotný said that Škoda Group has extensive experience in implementing railway and public transport projects in many countries around the world. The Group currently has capabilities spanning the design, manufacturing, assembly, long-term maintenance and provision of technical services throughout the product life cycle. Its areas of operation include metro systems, trams, intercity and suburban trains, locomotives, electric multiple units (EMUs), trolleybuses, electric buses, as well as signalling and operational control systems.
According to Mr. Petr Novotný, Škoda Group wishes to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam not only by supplying vehicles and equipment, but also by gradually transferring technology and developing manufacturing capabilities and supporting industries in Vietnam. In recent years, the Group has accumulated extensive experience in technology transfer to partners in many countries, with a focus on the production of spare parts, railway equipment, public transport vehicles, safety equipment and control systems. This provides a solid basis for Škoda to explore cooperation opportunities aligned with Vietnam’s development needs.
Mr. Petr Novotný, Chairman and CEO of Škoda Group spoke at the working session.
Leaders from Škoda Group expressed their readiness to expand cooperation with Vietnam in training and enhancing human resources in the railway and automotive sectors, with a view to developing a workforce that meets Škoda’s standards as well as international standards. Škoda and Thanh Cong Group expressed their interest in exploring opportunities to participate in railway, urban railway and public transport programs and projects in Vietnam, while also seeking cooperation in areas such as manufacturing and assembly in Vietnam, maintenance, control software, human resources training, localization and technology transfer.
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy highly appreciated Škoda Group’s and Czech enterprises’ interest in and desire to expand cooperation in Vietnam’s railway, urban railway and public transport sectors. He emphasized that these are priority areas for Vietnam’s development, closely linked to the need to build a modern and sustainable infrastructure system, while developing the railway industry, enhancing operational and maintenance capabilities, and strengthening human resources training.
Overview of working session.
In addition, Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy welcomed the cooperation approach proposed by Škoda Group and Thành Công Group in localization, technology transfer and the development of industrial capabilities in Vietnam. According to the Deputy Minister, combining international expertise in railway and public transport vehicles with the manufacturing and supporting-industry capabilities of Vietnamese enterprises is a promising approach that aligns with Vietnam’s efforts to develop its domestic capabilities.
“Vietnam is currently promoting the development of railways, urban rail systems, and the railway industry, while also focusing on attracting core technologies and international expertise, adopting maintenance solutions, training human resources, and increasing the localization rate according to an appropriate roadmap. Therefore, the Ministry of Construction always welcomes cooperation proposals from Škoda Group and its Czech partners on technology transfer, localization, manufacturing and assembly of rolling stock, maintenance, control software, and advanced training to improve the quality of human resources in Vietnam’s railway sector,” Huy said.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy and Mr. Petr Novotný pose a photo with delegates at the working session.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy and Petr Novotný, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Škoda Group, both expressed their confidence that, building on the strong cooperative relationship between Vietnam and the Czech Republic, as well as the experience and strengths of businesses from both countries, the discussions would help open up opportunities for substantive cooperation in railway, urban rail and public transport development, as well as the railway industry, thereby contributing to meeting Vietnam’s infrastructure development needs and enhancing its technological capabilities in the coming years.
Translated by: M.A