Hanoi, AFD and UTT Sign Cooperation Agreement to Establish the School of Railway Technology in Binh Minh Commune, Hanoi

Within the framework of the official visit to the French Republic by General Secretary and President To Lam, on 10 September 2026 in Paris, the Hanoi People’s Committee, the French Development Agency (AFD) and the University of Transport Technology (UTT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding, agreeing on a plan to establish and develop the School of Railway Technology under the University of Transport Technology in Binh Minh Commune, Hanoi. This is considered an important step towards preparing human resources, strengthening research capacity and facilitating technology transfer to support the development of the capital’s urban railway network and the national railway system.

As a member of the delegation accompanying General Secretary and President To Lam on his official visit to the French Republic, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Long, Rector of the University of Transport Technology, participated in activities promoting cooperation in training, human resource development and railway technology.

At the Élysée Palace, Paris, leaders of the Hanoi People’s Committee, UTT and AFD exchanged the Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment and development of the School of Railway Technology in the presence of General Secretary and President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron

The initiative to establish the School of Railway Technology comes at a time when Vietnam is entering a period of rapid railway infrastructure development. Hanoi alone aims to develop a network of 15 urban railway lines with a total length of approximately 303.5 km by 2035. At the same time, the North-South high-speed railway is being implemented, alongside the development and modernization of the national railway system. The large scale of investment creates an urgent need for engineers, experts and technical personnel capable of receiving, operating and gradually mastering modern railway technologies.

This policy was set out in Conclusion No. 49-KL/TW dated 28 February 2023 of the Politburo on orientations for the development of Vietnam’s railway transport to 2030, with a vision to 2045; and is also associated with Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation and Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in the development of education and training. In particular, Decision No. 2230/QD-TTg dated 9 October 2025 of the Prime Minister approved the Scheme for Training and Development of Human Resources for Vietnam’s Railway Sector. On that basis, the Ministry of Construction issued Decision No. 2321/QD-BXD dated 17 December 2025 on the implementation plan for the Scheme, under which UTT was assigned a number of tasks related to training, research and human resource preparation for the railway sector.

The selection of UTT to participate directly in the plan to establish the School of Railway Technology is grounded in the University’s tradition and development orientation. With more than 80 years of establishment and development, UTT is a higher education institution with a long-standing tradition of training technical and technological human resources for the construction and transport sectors; railway engineering is one of the fields in which the University has provided training and conducted research over different periods. UTT has also been assigned by the Ministry of Education and Training to lead the Network of Centers of Excellence and Talent in Advanced Transport Technology and Smart Infrastructure to implement the Scheme approved by the Prime Minister under Decision No. 374/QD-TTg. This provides a foundation for the University to strengthen linkages among education, scientific research, innovation, enterprises and international partners in emerging transport technology fields. The School of Railway Technology is therefore expected to continue and concentrate UTT’s training and research resources in a field with very high demand for human resources; while also creating conditions for engineering education to be more closely connected with technology, laboratories, enterprises and real-world railway projects.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding, the School of Railway Technology will receive technology transfer and apply advanced technology education experience from the French Republic and the French National Railway Company (SNCF). The tripartite cooperation mechanism between the city government (Hanoi People’s Committee), the educational institution (UTT) and the international financial and technical partner (AFD) is intended to create a foundation for Vietnam to gradually master technologies for the design, construction, operation and management of modern railway infrastructure, reducing dependence on foreign resources.

For Hanoi, the establishment of an institution specializing in railway technology education within the capital is of practical significance as investment in the metro network is being accelerated. At the national level, this is also a step towards preparing human resources for high-speed railway and urban railway projects, as well as for the modernization of Vietnam’s railway network.

From the milestone of cooperation in Paris, the plan to establish the School of Railway Technology opens up a new direction for UTT’s development, while also placing the University before a major mission: to train engineers and experts with sufficient capacity to receive, operate and gradually master technology, contributing to the development of a modern, self-reliant and sustainable railway sector in Vietnam.

Some images from the signing ceremony:

Mr. Tran Duc Thang- Member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Luu- Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Long- Rector of the University of Transport Technology at the working session with the French Development Agency (AFD) in Paris

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Luu- Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Long- Rector of the University of Transport Technology and leaders of the French Development Agency (AFD) signing the Memorandum of Understanding

University of Transport Technology