VIETNAM

Launching of Shield Tunnel Boring Machine for First Ever Subway Project in Vietnam

With Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, Mr. Junichi Kawaue, Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, and other distinguished guests in attendance, a ceremony was held to mark the launch of a shield tunnel boring machine, which will be used for excavation of two tunnels, as part of package CP1B of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Project, Line No. 1. This package is responsible for the design and construction of Vietnam’s first subway line, and is being executed by a joint operation between Shimizu Corporation and Maeda Corporation. It is the first time that shield tunneling technology has been deployed in an urban area in Vietnam. Line No.1 will run from Ben Thanh in District 1 in the city centre, to Suoi Tien in the north-eastern part of the city, and will extend for a total distance of 19.7km, including a 2.5km underground section and a 17.2km elevated section. The construction project for Line No.1 is funded by Japan Official Development Assistance (ODA) and is divided into two underground packages and an elevated package, each undertaken by a joint venture led by, or comprised of, Japanese contractors. The 1.74 km-long CP1B package is one of two underground sections, comprising Opera House and Ba Son Stations, and related tunnels. Underground structures in this package, comprise Opera House Station (190m), two shield tunnels (781m), Ba Son Station (240m) and a cut-and-cover tunnel (534m). Construction work on package CP1B commenced in August 2014. Work on Opera House Station involved large-scale excavation, carried out in an urban area with heavy traffic, and in the vicinity of various historic and other significant buildings, many of which had been constructed with shallow foundations, such as the Opera House Building. To protect these buildings, construction of the four-storey, 27m-deep underground station was carefully carried out with detailed analysis and continuous monitoring of ground movement, using a top-down method of construction. Ba Son Station is located adjacent to the Saigon River, inside the old Ba Son shipyard. To facilitate construction works at this location, a double sheet pile cofferdam was constructed in order to prevent water ingress from the river, and to facilitate the construction of a diaphragm wall, bulk excavation works, and construction of the main station structure. The shield tunneling technology will be applied to two east and west-bound tunnels, using a single shield tunnel boring machine. The shield tunnel boring machine will commence its work from Ba Son Station and move towards Opera House Station during construction of the first tunnel. After reaching Opera House Station, the shield tunnel boring machine will be dismantled and transported back to Ba Son Station for assembly and excavation of the second tunnel. The first tunnel work will be completed in September, 2017. The second tunnel work will start in December, 2017 and be completed in May, 2018. The launching of the shield tunnel boring machine is a major project milestone. The joint operation between Shimizu Corporation and Maeda Corporation will continue to ensure high quality and safety during construction, creating important infrastructure, to facilitate the ongoing socio-economic development of Vietnam.

Shimizu CSR - Building for the future generation

Shimizu Corporation is one of leading construction companies in the world with many projects in different countries. In Vietnam, our projects have been spreading to various cities all around the country. Last year, we have started a big project in Vinh, a suburb city in Vietnam. Vinh is about 300km South of Hanoi, in Nghe An Province. The province has around 17% of the population lives in poverty, many children are not able to go to school or their study conditions are very poor. Therefore, Shimizu Corporation would like to contribute our part to “build up” the future generation. We decided on raising the fund for facilities and other expenses to be used for this activity. On the 27th and 28thof May 2016, we organized a 2-day-trip for staffs to visit Duc Son Secondary School, the poorest school at Duc Son, Vinh, Nghe An. The fund raised from our staffs was used to buy materials to support pupils studying in Duc Son School. On the 27th, all staff members gathered at Duc Son School to deliver gifts to pupils. Each of them received a set of studying materials including pens, books, back packs, etc. Alongside with the support tools for studying, Shimizu Corporation also sponsored school supplies including new fans, chairs and tables for all classes, as well as other facilities support such as plastering walls and re-painting classes. We do strongly believe that these actives work beneficially, not only by improving children’s study conditions but also by giving them bundles of joy and happiness, which is really meaningful. With three pillars of CSR (Cooperate Social Responsibility) as: “Fairness and transparency in business; the creation of value that surpasses expectations; coexistence with society”, Shimizu Corporation is making continuous contributions to the sustainable development of society and acting as a good corporate citizen. Besides our professional expertise, we hope to organize more activities to return as much as we can to the society.

Shimizu Corporation (Vietnam) WebSite Newly Launched

Shimizu Corporation (Vietnam) WebSite Newly Launched

Theme for this time is about your commuting style

At 7:30 AM every weekday morning, the road is getting more crowded with many kinds of vehicles joining the traffic to work, to school and so on. And you can notice that most of them are motorbikes, a very common means of transportation in Vietnam. Therefore, it’s easily to catch many of Shimizu staff riding their motorbikes to the office. Mr. Dương from Shimizu Hanoi office is a typical example. Every day, He comes to office on his motorbike. Because it can be difficult for him to be on time in the morning if he is stuck in traffic jam, which occurs on a daily basis, he chooses to leave home a little earlier. Similarly, after work, sometimes he has to ride his motorbikes a longer way instead to avoid the effect of rush hour. However, it is relaxing for him to enjoy the journey to home as he can drop by his favorite shop to buy things or discover new ways home. His vehicle is always a useful means to travel around in such a crowded capital as Hanoi.

MR. Tran Phi Vu – General Manager (General affair / HR/ IT)

For those who don’t know him, he is one of the very first Vietnamese Staffs working for SMZ ever since its establishing of Representative office in Vietnam 23 years ago. He is famous among all the staffs as a TEEN man. That word stands for Talent, Experience, Entertainer and Novelty. He is talented, of course. He himself can perform like a music band because at the same time he can play guitar, harmonica and drum, all of which harmonize beautifully and smoothly. He is experienced. With his 23 years working for Shimizu Vietnam, his profound knowledge covers from IT, HR to Admin fields. That’s why we can always come to him for advice while facing troubles at work. He is an amazing Entertainer. Thanks to him, we are able to live in an inspiring atmosphere. He is a leader in organization of interesting parties, which are full of songs, music and amazing performances. Everything he’s done shows novelty as his endless creativity allows him to surprise us always. For all those reasons, we really wish he will be happy and healthy to contribute more to Shimizu Vietnam.

Shimizu VietNam Lunch

Spending time on lunch is a way of relaxing between the working hours. Each of SMZ Hanoi staff has our own way to enjoy this breaking time. There are 3 most common styles that you can find in our office. Some Japanese staffs often order Japanese food and have it delightfully at their desks, while Vietnamese staffs prepare the lunch from home and bring lunch boxes to office. The other groups may eat out at nearby restaurants to try new kinds of food. As lunch time is limited, we all find different ways to make the most of it and get our mind refresh for the working afternoons.

Shimizu Open Academy event at Ho Chi Minh University of Technology

On September 20, we held the Shimizu Open Academy event at Ho Chi Minh University of Technology, Vietnam’s one of the most competitive universities. We invited many distinguished guests including high government officials and had over 130 students in attendance at our lectures. On the day of the event, Senior Research Engineer Toshihiro Wakahara and Chief Research Engineer Noburu Uchiyama from the Institute of Technology presented lectures on the theme “Japan’s Cutting-Edge Construction Technology”. During the Q&A session following the lectures, there were many questions from the students in attendance, indicating their strong interest in the construction business and construction technology. This event marked the second Shimizu Open Academy at the university, and was held again as a result of the strong enthusiasm from the university side. In addition to strengthen the relationship between the university and Shimizu Corporation through the concept of monozukuri (craftsmanship), the even provided an excellent opportunity for enhancing the presence of our company.

Beach Cleaning in Hai Phong

Charity Donation at Long Hoa Pagoda (HCM Office)

SHIMIZU had a meaningful event on Children Day 1st June 2013.That was Donation Day for Orphan Children at Long Hoa Pagoda. Please see the link : http://tuoitre.vn/Nhip-song-tre/551564/nhieu-hoat-dong-cham-lo-tre-em-nhan-ngay-1-6.html to see one photo of our donation activity is on Youth newspaper on Sunday 2nd-June 2013.

SMZ Special Voluntary Trip

In our country, there are many minority groups of people who still live below normal conditions. Since we have a project in Hoa Binh where there are some villages of these minority people, we decided on a voluntary trip to bring them, particularly the kids, some gifts on Children’s day. Unlike other trips we have made, this one was unique. Because of the mountainous area there, to utilize our vehicles, we chose to go by truck which could carry more than 20 people at a time. After packaging all the presents such as old clothes, books and money donated by Shimizu staffs, we were so excited to start the trip without expecting this could be one of the most adventurous trips we might have had. We were really challenged with sloping hill roads. The ups and downs of the roads with unexpected turns seemed to prevent us from reaching our destination. Holding hands together, we made our way through all the jungles and streams bottomed with slippery rocks, heading to the villages of poor minority families. Upon our arrival, the little kids all burst into happiness when presents were given to them. They must have had a full children’s day. And in return, we had a memorable and unique experience.

Popular sports at your office

Football always proves its attraction to people from all walks of life. Accordingly, Shimizu staffs in Vietnam are not an exception. Eventhough we are occupied with huge work load, we still spend our quality time on exciting football matches held every weekend. And in this article, I’m very happy to introduce our football team from Shimizu Vietnam. As you may know, our team has its members coming from all Shimizu’s departments and sections such as Admin department, QS section or site engineers and so on. In the meanwhile, our competitor team can be our sub-contractors or other company’s partners. In the field, regardless of positions and job specialization, all the players quickly demonstrate sport spirits: enthusiasm and fair-play. Besides, one important factor contributing to the atmosphere of the matches is our passionate audience. These aidience are mostly SMZ Admin staffs who are proud to be few in number but plenty in quality. Ecouragement covers from screaming slogans to chanting stimulating songs, which brings so much fun to the field. Each match always end with lots of joys and laughters no matter what the result is because we do devote to the match and understand each other better.