French company Vinci Construction is looking for approval from the HCM City government to partner with Malaysia’s Berjaya Corporation to build a financial centre in District 10.
At a meeting on October 5 with HCM City chair Nguyen Thanh Phong, Jerome Stubler, chair of Vinci Construction, said the French group has been operating in Vietnam for 20 years and has opened an office in HCM City to design infrastructure projects.
Aside from the financial centre, Vinci Construction may get involved in public infrastructure and environment projects in the city, Stubler said.
Berjaya got the city government’s nod to build the financial centre in 2008 at a cost of $930 million, but the project has yet to get off the ground. The centre would cover nearly seven hectares at the corner of Cao Thang, Le Hong Phong and Ba Thang Hai streets and consist of four 48-floor buildings, with one of them planned to operate as a five-star hotel.
Vinci Construction has cooperated with Berjaya in many projects in Malaysia over the years, Michel Oliveres, Vinci’s director for Southeast Asia, told the Daily on the sidelines of the meeting.
For the Vietnam financial centre, Vinci Construction wants to help Berjaya design, build and seek investment for the project.
HCM City chair Phong said the city government is calling for investments from both local and foreign enterprises to develop waterways and roads as its population growth has outpaced infrastructure development.
The city plans to develop seven metro lines. However, the city has been able to start work on Metro Line No.1 and is still seeking investment for the remainder.
Vinci Construction was encouraged to take part in other fields such as waste treatment, flood control and water drainage.
Phong said the city discharges 7,500-8,000 tonnes of waste a day but most of the volume is buried. Therefore, the city is finding investors that have advanced technologies turning waste into energy.
Source: http://english.thesaigontimes.vn/5
Key words: French firm, wants to get involved, in financial centre, project.
