HCMC – The HCMC government has taken steps to facilitate the return of foreign experts to Vietnam for the Metro Line No.1 project, as the coronavirus pandemic has prevented them from entering the country and getting work permits.
According to the HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), Japanese experts who serve the city’s first metro line have been unable to enter Vietnam due to air travel restrictions.
Vice Chairman Vo Van Hoan of the city has issued guidelines on addressing the personnel obstacle to speed up work on the metro line, which links Ben Thanh Market in District 1 and Suoi Tien Theme Park in District 9.
Hoan urged the HCMC Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to work out solutions that the municipal government can present to the central Government when it proposes lifting the suspension of work permit renewals for foreign employees from coronavirus-hit countries and regions.
If foreign experts and employees are approved to enter Vietnam, they can continue working on major projects in HCMC but will have to fully comply with Vietnam’s quarantine requirements on arrival, the vice chairman added.
The Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Department was also asked to report its processes for issuing work permits to foreign experts who arrived in Vietnam before the Government’s Resolution No.28 was released on March 10, which ordered the suspension of work permit renewals for foreign employees from virus-hit regions.
The department was required to complete these two tasks before May 22.
The Metro Line No.1 is 72.59% complete and the figure is expected to reach 85% by the end of the year. The city is set to complete the construction of the project and put it into service by end-2021, stated MAUR.
