Guangzhou Metro Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd. has secured a significant contract in Vietnam, marking its first overseas rail transit design project. The consortium, led by the Chinese firm, partnered with Vietnamese companies TEDIS and PCC, along with France's ARTELIA, to win a contract valued at 175.4 billion Vietnamese dong (approximately 47 million yuan). This project involves conducting feasibility studies, preliminary design, and procurement services for an adjusted section of Ho Chi Minh City's Metro Line 2.  

The Ben Thanh-Tham Luong section, part of the city's Metro Line 2, spans 11.3 kilometers, with 9.3 kilometers underground and 2 kilometers elevated, featuring 11 stations. Construction began in February last year, with completion targeted for 2030. 

Ho Chi Minh City has developed a plan to build seven urban rail lines with a total length of approximately 355 kilometers by 2035. However, to date, the city has only completed about 20 kilometers of Metro Line 1, and the public transportation usage rate remains around 4%.

The city lacks the experience needed to simultaneously construct the other six metro lines, particularly in integrating rail transit with urban development under the TOD model, which is a significant challenge. Therefore, Ho Chi Minh City hopes that Guangzhou Metro will focus on supporting the TOD development for Metro Line 2, which is expected to become the city's first TOD pilot project.

In recent years, Guangzhou Metro Group has actively expanded overseas by signing an MOU with a Singapore MRT subsidiary, implementing a metro operations consulting project in Singapore, and securing the Abuja urban rail Phase 1 O&M contract in Nigeria. It has focused on the Vietnamese market through urban rail training in Ho Chi Minh City, establishing a permanent overseas office, and accelerating project execution. The group also hosted the China-ASEAN Sustainable Rail Transit Development Seminar and signed strategic agreements with MTR Corporation (Hong Kong SAR), Istanbul Metro (Türkiye), and Saudi SAMA Company, facilitating its entry into international markets.