{"id":5837,"date":"2026-09-29T13:49:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T06:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/uncategorized\/cong-trinh-bieu-trung-quoc-gia-khong-nen-chi-dua-quy-mo-hay-chieu-cao\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T13:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T06:53:08","slug":"cong-trinh-bieu-trung-quoc-gia-khong-nen-chi-dua-quy-mo-hay-chieu-cao","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/articles\/cong-trinh-bieu-trung-quoc-gia-khong-nen-chi-dua-quy-mo-hay-chieu-cao\/","title":{"rendered":"National Landmark Projects: It Should Not Be Just a Race for Scale or Height"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mr. Dinh Hong Ky shared his views in an article published by Dan Tri on September 29, 2026.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

(Dan Tri) \u2013 To create landmark projects of national stature, Vietnam needs more than sheer scale. It must also harness creativity, cultural identity, and the capability to master technology.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc recently signed Decision No. 1856, issuing a plan to implement the conclusions of General Secretary and President To Lam regarding the implementation of Central Committee resolutions and Politburo conclusions on developing synchronized infrastructure, with the goal of transforming Vietnam into a modern industrialized country.<\/p>\n

One of the notable elements of the decision is the development of landmark projects that reflect the nation\u2019s stature.<\/p>\n

\u201cDevelop criteria for selecting and compiling a list of infrastructure projects with symbolic significance that create new development milestones; consider the capabilities of Vietnamese enterprises and professionals in design, technology, construction, operation, and management as an important criterion in project preparation and implementation,\u201d the decision states.<\/p>\n

Dr. Nguyen Tien Thanh, architect and former Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Thu Dau Mot University, said that a project of national symbolic stature must go beyond conventional functionality and establish a distinctive identity through architecture, technology, culture, and development capabilities. Such projects should embody technological advancement, local characteristics, national identity, breakthrough creativity, and the value of public spaces.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Looking around the world, the Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World\u2019s Fair. Although it was initially opposed by Parisian artists and intended to stand for only 20 years, it has become one of the most recognizable symbols of France. The Sydney Opera House, meanwhile, became a national icon not because of its scale or cost, but because it embodies engineering excellence, creativity, and architectural identity.<\/p>\n

For Vietnam, Mr. Thanh noted that competing in terms of height or scale should not be the only approach. Vietnam\u2019s advantages lie in its creativity, cultural identity, and growing ability to master technology. Local identity should not be limited to traditional patterns or materials; it should originate from the geography, climate, culture, and spatial organization of the place where a project is built.<\/p>\n

Vietnam\u2019s National Assembly Building is one example. Its square structure surrounding a circular space evokes the traditional banh chung<\/em> and banh giay<\/em>, connecting modern architecture with familiar cultural memories.<\/p>\n

The \u201cVietnamese content\u201d of a project should therefore extend throughout the entire process, from concept and design to technology, construction, operation, and management.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe greater value of these projects lies in their ability to create new capabilities for Vietnam. Every large-scale project should provide opportunities for domestic professionals to participate more deeply and gradually master design, technology, construction, management, and operation. When that happens, a project\u2019s significance will not only lie in its external appearance, but also in the capabilities developed behind it,\u201d Mr. Thanh said.<\/p>\n

Long Thanh Airport and High-Speed Rail: Two Levels of Technological Mastery<\/h2>\n

Mr. Dinh Hong Ky, Chairman of the Board of Secoin Corporation and Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Construction and Building Materials Association (SACA), shares a similar view: no project becomes an icon simply because it is the largest, tallest, or most expensive.<\/p>\n

According to Mr. Ky, Vietnam\u2019s landmark projects in the 21st century must embody the country\u2019s intellectual capacity, industrial capabilities, culture, and responsibility toward future generations. This means Vietnamese engineers, architects, and enterprises should participate more deeply, while the proportion of domestically produced materials, equipment, and supply-chain inputs should increase.<\/p>\n

Secoin\u2019s experience in the building materials industry demonstrates that Vietnamese enterprises are capable of absorbing international technologies, mastering them, and ultimately creating products with a distinctive Vietnamese identity.<\/p>\n

Mr. Ky noted that Vietnamese companies, which were mainly subcontractors 20\u201330 years ago, are now capable of constructing high-rise buildings, major bridges, expressways, ports, and airports. The remaining gaps lie in overall system design, core technologies, specialized equipment, systems integration, complex project management, and the operation and maintenance of high-tech infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Long Thanh International Airport clearly illustrates this gap. Vietnamese companies are deeply involved in construction, but at the overall project level, the coordination and integration of design, construction, and technological systems remain under the leadership of international contractors heading the consortium.<\/p>\n

For high-speed rail, the ambition should be one step higher: Vietnam should aim to master the entire value chain, from research and design to materials, equipment, construction, systems integration, operation, maintenance, and upgrades.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This also represents the greatest opportunity, as a high-speed railway requires precision engineering, electrical and electronic technologies, control systems, signaling, software, advanced materials, rolling stock, and maintenance capabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf an appropriate localization strategy is adopted, mega-projects can help Vietnamese enterprises evolve from construction contractors into technology, industrial, and construction companies, creating a new manufacturing ecosystem whose competitiveness is based on technology, productivity, and intellectual property,\u201d Mr. Ky said.<\/p>\n

Three Gaps to Close: Technology, People, and Experience<\/h2>\n

Opportunities also come with significant gaps that need to be addressed.<\/p>\n

Mr. Thanh believes Vietnam\u2019s domestic workforce has matured and is capable of participating in everything from planning and design to the construction of many major projects. The challenge is to move beyond fragmented infrastructure development and overcome hesitation and passivity toward new technologies.<\/p>\n

Mr. Ky takes a more cautious view, identifying three specific gaps.<\/p>\n

The first is technology<\/strong>. Vietnamese enterprises may be able to purchase and use advanced technologies, but using technology and owning it are two different levels of capability. If specialized software and equipment, control systems, and systems-integration experts must still be imported, dependence on foreign technology will persist throughout the project\u2019s entire lifecycle.<\/p>\n

Technology transfer, therefore, cannot simply be a general contractual provision. From the project preparation stage, it is necessary to determine which technologies Vietnam has already mastered, which can be mastered within five years, which require joint ventures or technology transfer, and which genuinely need to be imported.<\/p>\n

The second gap is high-level human resources<\/strong>: chief engineers, chief architects, systems-integration specialists, international project managers, and professionals experienced in BIM (Building Information Modeling), Digital Twin technology, and asset lifecycle management.<\/p>\n

In the railway sector alone, the human resource development plan aims to train at least 35,000 people between 2025 and 2030. The Ministry of Construction forecasts that the entire sector will require more than 140,000 workers by 2045.<\/p>\n

Human resources must therefore be developed ahead of projects. Next-generation infrastructure is, first and foremost, a human-capital challenge.<\/p>\n

The third gap is experience<\/strong>, where a \u201cchicken-and-egg\u201d dilemma emerges. Companies from Japan, South Korea, France, and China have accumulated experience through dozens of metro and railway projects, while Vietnamese enterprises are only beginning to enter this field.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf companies lack experience, it is difficult for them to be entrusted with major projects. But if they are not allowed to participate in major projects, when will they ever gain that experience?\u201d Mr. Ky asked.<\/p>\n

According to him, the solution is to ensure Vietnamese enterprises are genuinely involved in projects, undertake real work, assume real responsibility, and gain real experience.<\/p>\n

Every mega-project should be regarded as a dual investment in both infrastructure and national capabilities. If tens of billions of US dollars are spent on a project but, once completed, Vietnam remains dependent on foreign suppliers for spare parts, software, and maintenance, then the country has merely purchased an asset rather than acquired the capability behind it.<\/p>\n

Technology transfer should therefore become a criterion for selecting international partners. At the same time, every mega-project should serve as a training program, with specific targets for the number of Vietnamese engineers directly taking on key positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should not only ask what percentage of materials has been localized. We must also ask what percentage of knowledge has been localized. That is what genuine, in-depth localization means,\u201d Mr. Ky emphasized.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Government\u2019s plan sets a target of establishing a new-generation North\u2013South infrastructure corridor by 2045, integrating roads, railways, energy, fiber-optic networks, and logistics.<\/p>\n

According to Mr. Thanh, this corridor itself could become one of the symbols of Vietnam\u2019s national stature. The North\u2013South high-speed railway, stretching 1,541 km from Ngoc Hoi in Hanoi to Thu Thiem in Ho Chi Minh City, could, if extended to Can Tho and Ca Mau as proposed, form a continuous national backbone from Hanoi to the southernmost point of Ca Mau.<\/p>\n

In architecture, Hanoi is preparing several new large-scale developments, including the 108-story Phuong Trach Financial Tower, approximately 639 meters tall, within the North Hanoi Smart City developed by the BRG\u2013Sumitomo consortium. The project broke ground in August 2025. Another 108-story tower has also been proposed for the Vinh Thanh\u2013Dong Anh ecological urban area.<\/p>\n

In Ho Chi Minh City, following the height milestone set by Landmark 81, new developments need to harmonize with existing landmarks such as Independence Palace, Ben Thanh Market, the Central Post Office, and the Municipal Theatre.<\/p>\n

However, a height record alone does not create an icon. A project\u2019s value lies in its ability to represent an era of development, establish a distinctive architectural, technological, and cultural identity, and embody the \u201cVietnamese content\u201d within it.<\/p>\n

Mr. Ky suggested that each infrastructure investment cycle should be viewed in broader terms than simply the number of kilometers of expressways or airports constructed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe greatest opportunity does not lie in the number of construction contracts, but in our ability to use this major infrastructure investment cycle to create a new generation of Vietnamese industrial enterprises, with competitiveness based on technology, productivity, and intellectual property,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

This is also why Vietnamese capabilities are being incorporated as a criterion from the outset when identifying landmark projects. A project can truly embody national stature only when, alongside its physical presence, it enables the country to develop capabilities that it did not previously possess.<\/p>\n

Article link<\/strong>: https:\/\/dantri.com.vn\/bat-dong-san\/cong-trinh-bieu-trung-quoc-gia-khong-nen-chi-dua-quy-mo-hay-chieu-cao-20260929091658606.htm<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mr. Dinh Hong Ky shared his views in an article published by Dan Tri on September 29, 2026. (Dan Tri) \u2013 To create landmark projects of national stature, Vietnam needs more than sheer scale. It must also harness creativity, cultural identity, and the capability to master technology. Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc recently…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5839,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-bai-bao-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5837"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5841,"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5837\/revisions\/5841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}