HÀ NỘI — Football legend David Beckham has kicked-off Viet Nam’s entry into the global automobile market.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star was guest of honour, launching the new VinFast cars at the Paris Motor Show on Tuesday.

“These cars are incredible, sleek and high-tech,” said Beckham. “It is amazing. It is so, so beautiful.

“To create something in such a short space of time is really incredible. VinFast is a miracle for Việt Nam.”

The former England football captain was joined on stage in Paris by Miss Vietnam 2018 Trần Tiểu Vy.

VinFast used the 120^th Paris Motor Show to introduce to the world their new sedan and SUV models.

It’s the first time cars from Việt Nam lined up with leading brands such as Mercedes, Porche, Audi, Lamborghini and Lexus.

Speaking at the event, VinFast Chairwoman Lê Thị Thu Thuỷ said VinFast was the newest member of the Vingroup, the largest private firm in Việt Nam.

“Vingroup’s goal is to build Việt Nam’s international brand. The two cars are the first achievement on the path of realising that mission, naming on the map of the world car manufacturing industry," she said.

More than a dream, VinFast had a seemingly impossible journey: Within just a year, it turned a swamp into the leading modern automobile manufacturing factory.

Located in coastal land Cát Hải in the northern city of Hải Phòng, the 335ha area of marsh land deserted nearly a year ago has now become a modern VinFast automobile plant with a capacity of 500,000 vehicles per year by 2025.

Journalist Paul Eisenstain from CNBC said he was extremely impressed as he visited VinFast Hải Phòng complex. “It’s huge and modern with scale no less than the modern automobile plant in the world,” he said.

VinFast’s sedan and SUV models used BMW’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines and Italian design from Pininfarina. The appearance of VinFast at the Paris Motor Show 2018 has astounded professionals in the industry and international media. Thousands of articles have been written about the vehicles, which have been developed in just over 365 days.

The names of its first two cars as LUX A2.0 for the sedan and LUX SA2.0 for the SUV were announced just one day before the Paris Motor Show 2018. However, the price has not yet been revealed.

VinFast said it was currently co-operating with leading names in Europe and America in the automotive field such as BMW, Bosch, Magna Steyr and Pininfarina, who have the best technology and experience in the world, creating LUX A2.0 and LUX SA2.0 with superior "Vietnamese identity - Italian design - German technology - international standard".

With the goal of producing a "national car" for the Vietnamese, VinFast organised the programe "Choosing lovely car with VinFast" from the designs created by four famous Italian studios: Pininfarina, Zagato, Torino and Ital Design. The programme attracted 62,000 entries, resulting in two designs of Ital Design was voted the most.

The Paris Motor Show is one of the most important events in the motoring calendar. Also known as Mondial de l’Automobile, it was the world’s first motor show when it first opened its doors in 1898. Since 1976, it’s been held every two years.

Held in the Paris expo Porte de Versailles, the largest exhibition centre in France, the Paris Motor Show is the home turf of French manufacturers like Renault, Peugeot and Citroen, but as it’s grown in popularity it’s become a real worldwide event. Every major manufacturer shows off its wares within the show, with facelifts, all-new cars, concepts and the occasional classic car all on display.

The show opens publicly from October 1 and runs until October 16. — VNS