Hanoi, Belgian province boost cooperation

Hanoi (VNA) – Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Doan Toan on November 11 hosted a reception for Governor of Belgium’s Antwerp province Cathy Berx, who is on a working visit to Vietnam.

Informing his guest of the capital city’s socio-economic development in recent years, Toan highlighted that Hanoi has become a leading destination in the country for foreign investors.

However, the city is facing many challenges from the urbanisation process such as traffic congestion and environmental pollution, he said, adding the city will continue calling for foreign investment in waste treatment and infrastructure development.

He also said the city wants to learn from Antwerp’s experience in building smart urban areas.

On the occasion, he expressed his hope that the Antwerp Governor will help promote Hanoi to the Belgian people, and encourage the Belgian business community to study the investment climate and set up partnerships with the Vietnamese side.

Berx, for her part, affirmed the efforts being made to boost cooperative ties between the two localities, especially in fields of the Belgian province’s strengths like urban area development and education.

She said Vietnam is taking ASEAN Chair in 2020, and this is a valuable opportunity to promote investment collaboration between Belgium and Vietnam, as well as ASEAN as a whole./.