Vietnam, UK look to boost railway, aviation collaboration
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 HAECO Electrical Mechanical JSC 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, VNA reported.
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| The construction site of Long Thanh International Airport (Photo: VNA) |
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 program, 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.
Deputy PM meets Thai Foreign Minister in Bangkok
Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia during his meeting with Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 29.
Both sides expressed their delight at the positive developments in Vietnam–Thailand relations, especially the upgrade of the bilateral ties into a comprehensive strategic partnership.
They hailed fruitful developments in such areas as politics, diplomacy, economics, trade, and investment while collaboration in other key areas such as science and technology, tourism, education and training, culture, transportation, and people-to-people exchanges continues to achieve new accomplishments.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the outcomes of the fourth Vietnam–Thailand Joint Cabinet Meeting held in recent May, promptly develop an action program on the implementation of the comprehensive strategic partnership for the 2026–2030 period with concrete and substantive content.
They underlined the need to expedite the establishment of a joint working group to discuss specific plans for implementing the "Three Connectivity" Strategy and effectively tap into new and promising areas such as science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, digital economy, green economy, renewable energy, and energy transition.
Both sides pledged to encourage businesses from the two countries to expand trade and investment activities, facilitate market access for each other's goods and strive to raise bilateral trade turnover to US$25 billion towards a more balanced and sustainable manner, VGP reported.
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| Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (L) meets Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, Bangkok, Thailand, July 29, 2025. |
The two diplomats vowed to carry out new approaches to promote tourism cooperation, including initiatives to enhance tourism connectivity within ASEAN. They underscored the importance of strengthening sister-city partnerships between localities of the two countries, enhancing people-to-people exchanges, and leveraging the role of the Thai-Vietnamese community in Thailand as a bridge of friendship in advancing the Vietnam–Thailand comprehensive strategic partnership.
Sharing the outcome of the talks between Thai Acting Prime Minister and the Prime Minister of Cambodia in Putrajaya, chaired by the Malaysian Prime Minister in his capacity as ASEAN Chair for 2025 on July 28, Sangiampongsa stated that the two sides have reached a ceasefire agreement, effective from July 29.
He asserted that Thailand wishes to resolve its dispute with Cambodia via peaceful means.
Bui welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, adding that Vietnam is keeping a close eye on the situation.
Thailand and Cambodia are close friends of Vietnam, noted the Vietnamese official, expressing his hope that the two sides will exercise restraint, refrain from the use of force, and resolve their differences peacefully and satisfactorily based on the fundamental principles of international law, the United Nations Charter, the ASEAN Charter, and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).
Vietnam stands ready to play a constructive role in supporting the two countries in implementing the ceasefire agreement and fostering cooperation in the spirit of ASEAN friendship and solidarity, for the long-term interests of both sides and the region, underlined Bui.
The secret formula making Vietnamese culture attractive
Through multiple platforms, a Vietnamese initiative is transforming how cultural stories are told to spread and preserve the nation’s historical heritage.
Tran Duc Thuan from Thanh Hoa Province never cared about traditional Vietnamese opera. He saw it as something irrelevant to him.
Then he stumbled upon a TikTok video featuring a cheo performer’s transformation, and everything changed.
“I didn’t use to care about traditional arts,” Thuan shared, “but once I accidentally watched a clip of a cheo character transformation on TikTok, I had to stop and watch it to the end. From then on, I started following the fan page, reading the articles, and felt proud of our nation’s heritage values.”
That viral moment wasn’t an accident. It was the result of a cultural initiative launched in March 2024 by a group of over 10 people in their twenties and thirties, united by their shared love and deep concern for national culture.
The project behind that viral video is called “Xin Chao Vietnam” (Hello Vietnam) - a multi-platform media and cultural initiative aimed at spreading and preserving the nation’s historical and cultural values.
Since launching, theatres partnering with the project have seen their performance schedules explode - from one show per month to three or four. Audience rates have increased by several hundred percent.
Without fanfare or glamour, “Xin Chao Vietnam” has quietly built a space for approaching culture that is accessible, creative, and notably inspiring.
“We believe that traditional cultural values are what shape Vietnamese identity and character - the way of thinking, living, how we behave and communicate with the world,” says Pham Duc Long, the production director behind the project. “That’s why we chose to return to åthese values to explain the Vietnamese people in the depth of history and identity.”
The project builds a cohesive and diverse content ecosystem where history, cultural heritage, and food and travel content groups are designed to complement each other, creating a comprehensive experience for viewers. Historical stories are retold with fresh, dynamic approaches, helping young people feel more connected to the nation’s history of building and defending the country, NDO reportåed.
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| The “Xin Chao Viet Nam” project decodes cheo on YouTube, making the art form easier to understand and accessible to all audiences. (Screenshot)` |
The culture-heritage section is one of the project's most prominent highlights, featuring elaborately produced videos exploring traditional art forms like cheo, tuong, water puppetry... presented from a youthful yet respectful perspective.
Long explained that the most important aspect of their approach is always starting from information depth, finding the essence. “Each piece of content is thoroughly researched, with consultation from official organizations to ensure accuracy and preserve the traditional values of national culture.”
The project has gained support from many traditional artists. “I’m impressed by the young people’s eagerness to learn and seriousness in the project,” notes Distinguished Artist Dao Tuan Hai from the Vietnam Cheo Theatre. “They know how to make it accessible, lively and more attractive to young audiences.”
The project spans platforms - TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, even Threads. Thanks to this accessible yet profound approach, the project’s creative media products quickly gained attention on social media, creating positive ripple effects in the community.
Perhaps most importantly, the project is creating real-world change beyond the awareness level. According to Long, audience numbers at art performances have increased significantly.
The collaboration with the Vietnam Women’s Museum exemplifies this impact. Museum Communications Director Le Cam Nhung explained: “To diversify our promotional methods and attract young people, we decided to partner with “Xin Chao Vietnam.” Collaborative videos have attracted an abundance of likes, interactions and shares. As a result, the number of visitors coming to the museum and wanting to experience our programs has increased steadily, up 20% compared to before.”
To expand their influence, the “Xin Chao Vietnam” project is planning to develop English-language content.
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