Mega projects for mechanical engineering

Cat Linh-Ha Dong elevated railway will have a trial run next month.-VNA/VNS Photo

The move was made after materials and equipment reportedly stolen from stations and depots of the railway project.

Since August 1, the line has been connected to the national power grid for trial operation. Therefore, another important task for the project management board is to ensure the safety of its electricity system.

The project EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) general contractor, the China Railway Sixth Group (CRSG), was asked to strengthen security personnel presence, install surveillance cameras and fences to control people entering the station and prevent unauthorised persons from entering the construction site.

All Chinese-Vietnamese bilingual documents planned for the project must be examined and approved by the management board before being printed and used at the site. It is strictly forbidden to post or publicise the documents before this approval to avoid misleading the public.

On August 11, the general contractor invited all of the workers and their relatives to attend a trial run of the elevated train. In order to control entrance, bilingual Chinese – Vietnamese metro tickets were used with one-day validity.

Regarding the using of signboards and printed documents in Chinese and Vietnamese in the project area, the board reported that the materials are only for internal and temporary use during the construction to facilitate the work of on-site Chinese engineers and experts.

The ministry also required the EPC contractor to allocate human resources to ensure the remaining work of the project is completed in accordance with the schedule and quality requirements.

Since the metro line was also connected to the national power grid for its trial operation last month, electrical hazards are a new worry.

The work must comply with the provisions of the contract and the detailed plan approved by competent authorities, according to the transport ministry.

In case the contractor performs tasks other than those laid out in the project plan, it must report to the management board for consideration and approval beforehand.

Connecting Dong Da District’s Cat Linh Street with Ha Dong District’s Yen Nghia bus station, the 13km-long elevated railway includes 12 stations and a depot at Phu Luong Ward in Ha Dong District. The railway will operate 13 trains with four carriages each running every two minutes at speeds of 35 to 80kmph.

The railway has been constructed using Official Development Assistance (ODA) from China with a total investment of US$868 million. The railway will run on a trial next month.

Fluency in Japanese is a skill many Japanese companies in Viet Nam, who are recruiting currently, demand. — Photo congthuong.vn

Japanese businesses in Viet Nam are seeking thousands of workers in the electronic and electrical and mechanical engineering sectors.

But they need to speak Japanese fluently.

A company in the Saigon Hi-tech Park in HCM City’s Thu Duc city is, for example, in desperate need of tungsten inert gas welding and electrostatic spray painting workers, and is offering VND12 million a month (US$519).

Japanese businesses in Dong Nai and Binh Duong Province are also looking for experienced technical and maintenance staffs.

Le Long Son, director of Esuhai Joint Stock Company, said Japanese enterprises are expanding in Viet Nam, providing a big opportunity for young Vietnamese workers to catch up on technology and improve their working skills.

But they prefer Vietnamese interns from Japan since it helps save time and cost of training, an HR employee who recruits for Fujita Engineering and Construction Company Limited in HCM City’s District 11, said.

Nguyen Ngoc Hieu, director of V.N.T Vietnam Co., Ltd, said, there could be a lot of challenges when Vietnamese workers come to work for Japanese enterprises. Hence, they should have professional skills, punctuality, a positive and enthusiastic attitude, and follow strictly cultural norms of workplace. — VNS

Tran Viet Lan, whose parents own a motorbike repair shop in Phu Yen province, has has won many provincial and national prizes for his inventions since he was an eighth grader.

The controversial Cat Linh-Hadong urban metro project has set its current deadline for commercial operation on April 30, with most stakeholder having mixed feelings of hope and doubt.

Nguyen Nam, a 40-year-old living in Nguyen Trai street where the metro line is running through, told VIR, “Unlike with previous announcements, these days I can see the trains on the Cat Linh-Hadong line run almost every day. I hope this time the train will be operated on schedule. I have been waiting for years.”

Similarly, Hang Nguyen, a 38-year-old white-collar worker in Giang Vo street near Cat Linh – the starting point of the metro line – expects that people might be able to take the train in May.

“At first, when the train is actually operational, I will still ride my bike and wait for feedback about safety issues because the project has been sluggish for the last 10 years,” she said.

Such mixed feelings are common among Hanoians who witnessed several delays and hiccups within the first metro line’s schedule. On March 31, the Cat Linh-Hadong line had its construction and installation completed as announced by Nguyen Ngoc Dong, Deputy Minister of Transport, with the handover to Hanoi authorities currently taking place and expected to be completed in May.

Dong elaborated, “To complete the handover, the Ministry of Transport (MoT), Hanoi People’s Committee, the Railway Project Management Unit, and Hanoi Metro will work from March 31 with the Chinese engineering-procurement and construction contractor on checking receipts, dossiers, other documents, and assets. The works are expected to be completed in three to four weeks.”

In addition, the urban railway might need additional 107 employees for operation. According to Hanoi Metro, applications will be accepted until April 15.

Earlier in January, French consultant ACT gave 16 recommendations on risk prevention in the operation of the route, focusing on three groups of issues such as documents, design improvements, and readiness of human resources.

According to the MoT, some of these precautions have already taken place, such as fire prevention and fighting measures and a thorough analysis of the signal system. Other recommendations are related to measures to evacuate passengers in emergency situations and other critical issues.

There are still some recommendations given by ACT that will need more time to consider and be fulfilled, such as a system of glass walls to increase passenger safety. “The consultant’s recommendations are to ensure safety for passengers at the highest level, but not all must be fulfilled immediately,” the MoT leader said.

Despite the company’s job announcements, Hanoi Metro leader Dr. Vu Hong Truong reaffirmed that the needed employees to operate the trains is ready. He also added, “If the remaining works are done on schedule, we can operate in late April or early May.”

The construction of the Cat Linh-Hadong metro line was launched in October 2011 and originally scheduled for completion in 2013, with funding coming from Chinese official development assistance, with a total investment value of approximately $886 million after several adjustments.

The line has been a costly lesson for the MoT and other state management agencies. For Hanoi – a city of about nine million people, 5.2 million motorbikes, and around 550,000 cars – building more metro lines could be a relieve to ease pressure on urban traffic.

Deputy Minister Dong admitted that the project is huge and complicated, and has been carried out for many years, while the legal system, standards, and even price management mechanisms need further work.

“Lessons learned from this project is that for new things, it is better to study examples abroad and then do it. For future projects like this, we must have a better roadmap for both investment preparation and human resources training before implementation,” he noted.

Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (Photo: Xinhua)

Hanoi (VNA) – China will work with Mekong countries to continue to promote the development of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) towards creating a new model of regional cooperation, and building a new highland of development and prosperity, Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi was quoted as saying on April 13 by Xinhua News Agency.

Xinhua News Agency also quoted the Chinese official as saying that the LMC mechanism had brought tangible benefits to the people of all LMC countries.

The six LMC countries absorbed resources from all sides, focused on pragmatic cooperation and reached fruitful results. They also did a lot to benefit the people and carried out regional governance and maintained peace and stability of the region.

Wang said that China is speeding up efforts to foster a new development paradigm, and the LMC is facing new opportunities.

The six LMC countries should adhere to the spirit of partnership to jointly seek ways for development; adhere to interconnection to build an engine for development; adhere to innovation to foster momentum for development; and put people’s livelihood first to consolidate the foundation for development, he said.

Xinhua also quoted Myo Thant Pe, Myanmar Ambassador to China, as saying that all countries would continue to cooperate closely with China, push forward mechanism construction and deepen pragmatic cooperation to better benefit all the people./.