ACCIONA Celebrates Its Arrival in Vietnam

ACCIONA celebrated its official arrival in Vietnam with a welcome event on Oct. 17 in the country’s capital, Ho Chi Minh City.

The event was attended by dignitaries from the country such as the Spanish ambassador in Vietnam, María Jesús Figa López Palop, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Transport, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB), Vietnam Railways and the Urban-Civil Works Construction Investment Management Authority of Ho Chi Minh City (UCCI).

From ACCIONA, the celebration was attended by senior officials from the company, such as Luis Castilla, CEO of the infrastructure division, and Fernando Fajardo, regional director of the infrastructure division in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.

Vietnam has become one of the fastest-growing economies in the region over the last 40 years, with forecasts predicting future GDP growth to remain above 6% with competitiveness indicators improving year-on-year.Furthermore, Price Waterhouse Coopers believes that Vietnam will become one of the world’s top 20 economies and one of the 10 leading economies in Asia by 2050.However, for ACCIONA the attraction of Vietnam goes beyond its economic indicators.

“What has really led us to make the decision to come to this country are the synergies that exist between ACCIONA and Vietnam – the fact that we share the same vision for the future.The country has declared its commitment to increase its installed renewable energy capacity, as well as to improve the efficiency of its water services and promote the development of sustainable infrastructures.All of these objectives have led us to view Vietnam as a long-term market, and that is why we are so proud to be here today and look upon this country as a new home” said Luis Castilla, CEO of the infrastructure division of ACCIONA.

María Jesús Figa López Palop, Spain’s ambassador to Vietnam, said, “We are delighted that a Spanish company of with the stature of ACCIONA is coming to Vietnam.Bilateral relations between this country and Spain have really strengthened since last year, when trade exceeded $3 billion.This success is due to small and large companies that have decided to take their initial steps into Vietnam.We hope that ACCIONA’s presence, one of Spain’s largest groups, will contribute to the development of both Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam.As a representative of the Spanish government, we are proud to know that ACCIONA is here and we are working with the Vietnamese government to ensure a higher quality of life for local residents.”

ACCIONA arrived in Vietnam in April as part of its growth strategy in Southeast Asia with the opening of its first office in Ho Chi Minh, which joins its Singapore office opened in 2016.

This move will consolidate the company’s presence in Southeast Asia, where it has carried out major projects in Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Philippines, most notably with the Putatan 2 desalination plant, which serves nearly six million people, and construction of the recently opened cable-stayed bridge in Cebú, both in the Philippines.

ACCIONA’s arrival in Vietnam illustrates the enormous potential of the infrastructure sector in the country, as well as its capacity to attract foreign capital.Over the next few years, ACCIONA will work closely with Vietnamese partners to develop important infrastructure projects, especially in the water and transport sectors.