On July 17, the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) and Global Technology and Telecommunications Corporation (GTEL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in system integration research, technology acquisition, and technology transfer to support the development of the city's urban railway network. The signing ceremony was attended by Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Hoang Nguyen Dinh.
Under the MoU, MAUR and GTEL will jointly conduct research on system integration and technology acquisition and transfer for urban railway projects, initially focusing on Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh–Tham Luong) and projects scheduled for implementation during the 2026–2030 period.
The two sides will gradually develop capabilities to master technologies related to information and communications systems, signalling, power supply, electromechanical systems, operations control, automatic fare collection, platform screen doors, and other related subsystems.
They will also explore the application of artificial intelligence (AI), Digital Twin technology, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, electronic identification (eID), and other digital solutions to enhance the management, operation, and maintenance of the metro system, with the long-term goal of establishing an integrated operations control center for Ho Chi Minh City's entire metro network.
At the ceremony, Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), Phan Cong Bang, said the city is accelerating the development of its metro network, targeting approximately 200 kilometers of urban railway lines by 2030.
He stressed that metro development must go hand in hand with not only infrastructure investment but also technology mastery, enhanced management capacity, stronger data governance, and the development of domestic technological capabilities.
In his remarks, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Hoang Nguyen Dinh commended MAUR and GTEL for proactively establishing a cooperation framework aligned with the Central Government's and the city's strategy for urban railway development.
He urged the two organizations to promptly translate the memorandum into practical implementation programs, with a focus on developing solutions for expanding the metro network, accelerating technology transfer, and training high-quality human resources. These efforts, he said, would help strengthen the capabilities of domestic enterprises while safeguarding Vietnam's authority over the management and utilization of transport-related data.
The city, he added, will continue to create favorable conditions for research, technology transfer, and the development of the railway industry, contributing to the establishment of a modern, smart, and sustainable public transport system.
