Vietnam has decided to adopt Japan's bullet-train system for a high-speed rail link, officials knowledgeable about the situation revealed Friday.
The decision will boost the global status of Japan's shinkansen technology ahead of its rivals, including France's TGV and Germany's ICE. Shinkansen technology has already been adopted by Taiwan.
Vietnam's decision was delivered to Japan when Prime Ministers Nguyen Tan Dung and Yukio Hatoyama met on the sidelines of the first summit between Japan and five Mekong-region countries in Tokyo in early November, the officials said.
Vietnam's Parliament is expected to officially decide on the project next May, they said.