Swedish firms covet infrastructure projects in Vietnam

Vietnam’s rapid industrialisation and rising demand for high-quality infrastructure is attracting many Swedish firms who wish to engage in assorted infrastructure projects in the country.

A delegation of 18 Swedish firms, half of whom operate in the infrastructure industry, and led by Swedish Minister of Trade Ann Linde, came to Vietnam last week. They met with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, leaders of some localities, and many local firms to discuss their upcoming projects in Vietnam.

Magnus Zederfeldt, vice president of Axis Communications, said his firm, offering intelligent security solutions, is establishing a large-scale network of partners in Vietnam with multi-million dollar contracts.

“We see a growing demand for transport and parking cameras. In response, we are building up an inter-sector network for our products in Vietnam,” Zederfeldt said.

While Kapsch TrafficCom wants to find more partners to provide their electronic toll collection equipment, SAAB - a market-leading defence, aerospace and security company - is also seeking to provide its solutions in Vietnam.

Mikael Olsson, executive vice president of SAAB’s Marketing and Sales, said SAAB will work with the Vietnamese government about providing equipment and services to the construction of Long Thanh International Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai.

“There are few, if any, other companies that can match SAAB’s range of products and services, from fighter aircraft to submarines, from airborne surveillance to ground combat systems, from radars to camouflage or from air traffic management to electronic warfare,” Olsson said. “We are working with the Vietnamese government on these products and services.”

Meanwhile, Scania – the world’s leading manufacturer of trucks and buses for heavy transport applications, is also keen to not miss any opportunities in Vietnam.

“We want to co-operate with the government and firms to deploy smart transport networks in Vietnam, as well as produce more Scania-branded vehicles in the country,” said Marie Sjodin Enstrom, managing director of Scania Southeast Asia.

Scania has been co-operating with several firms to make vehicles in Vietnam since 2007.

Swedish Minister of Trade Ann Linde said many other Swedish companies, such as Volvo Buses, Volvo Car Group, Ericsson, and AF, “can offer innovative solutions to new transport projects in Vietnam.”

Currently, about 35 per cent of Vietnam’s population of 93 million live in urban areas. This is expected to increase to 50 per cent by 2025. Furthermore, urban areas defined as cities are expected to increase from 700 in 2014 to 1,000 by 2025. The growth in urban areas will create a need for new and innovative public infrastructure solutions, according to the Swedish Trade and Investment Council.

By Khoi Nguyen / vir