Arup explores infrastructure cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City
City officials are seeking cooperation on railways, transport links and urban planning, while Arup has proposed exploring digital tools and private investment.
Arup Group CEO Jerome Frost and Ho Chi Minh City standing deputy chairman Nguyen Loc Ha discussed possible infrastructure cooperation, covering transport, urban planning and sustainable development. Both sides will hold further talks to identify opportunities suited to the city’s priorities.
Ha sought closer cooperation on railway development, transport connections and methods of capturing increases in land values linked to transport projects. He said the city needed stronger infrastructure connections following its July 2025 merger with the former provinces of Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
The city’s priorities include an integrated transport network, more urban rail and transit-oriented development, alongside green and digital transitions and better urban governance. Ha also called for more professional exchanges between Arup, municipal departments and local research and training institutions.
Frost expressed interest in exploring digital twin applications for the city. He cited Arup’s work in Madrid using a virtual model to support planning, and a Shanghai project mapping water networks and areas vulnerable to flooding. Such technology could help authorities test scenarios and assess investment impacts, he said.
On financing, Frost said Arup could assist Vietnam in examining ways to draw foreign private capital and prepare projects that meet international investors’ expectations. He said the firm advised private investors globally on more than US$200 billion in infrastructure investments during 2025, spanning energy, airports and railways.
Ha said Arup had worked in Vietnam for over 20 years. Its previous involvement included reviews and studies concerning Ho Chi Minh City’s railway network, metro lines No. 2 and No. 4, and transit-oriented development.
