Vietnam/Japan, June 29 (ANI): The first subway in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway – Line 1 will extend 19.7 kilometers and connect the city center with the northeaste suburbs. At present, traffic congestion has worsened in Ho Chi Minh City, adversely affecting the livelihood of people living in the city. The subway project aims to alleviate traffic jams and improve economic activity. Shimizu Construction of Japan, with a joint venture, will oversee the construction of underground railway space extending 1.74 kilometers between the Opera House Station and Ba Son Station. The tunneling has begun with the use of the first ever Shield Machine. An exhibition room has been set up to explain the construction process. It is not just about making things, but to provide information about technologies used in the construction process for students and visitors. While analyzing the behavior of historical buildings with inadequate foundations and conducting careful measurement management, the Top-down construction method which is often used in Japan has chosen. By digging 44 meters deep from ground level to lay the foundation, this method has less impact on the perimeter of the structure. On the other hand, Ba Son Station sits near a shipyard facing the Saigon River, creating the potential for water seepage from the river into the underground tunnel. The construction will need to eliminate the effects of the river and block any water migrating into the tunnel from the river. Naturally, difficulties will arise in the construction of these two stations, but local engineers will gain immense experience from participating in this project. Reliable and secure construction is underway to create high quality infrastructure. Japan’s CASIO continues to produce uniquely designed products as its G-SHOCK brand of watches. The designers at the Casio Design Center have developed an industry-academia collaborative project that allows Asian university students to practice product design techniques. This year there was a project with students from the Architecture Product Design Department of Assumption University in Thailand. The project sets out a series of processes in the Casio product design, from market research and analysis, to the concept and user target of the product. The product had to have a function that served a purpose in the design, and make a proposal for a new product. For a period of six months, Casio's designers will lead a workshop at the local university performing these processes. And finally, the results will be presented in Japan. Being eager to be a part of a young person’s creative ideas will most likely bring about a novel product.