Hanoi seeks stronger cooperation with Singapore

Hanoi (VNA) – Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung on February 10 suggested Singapore build a Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in the capital city.

At a reception for Singaporean Ambassador Jaya Ratnam, Dung said Hanoi and Singapore have substantial cooperation opportunities, especially in such areas as politics, pandemic prevention and control, trade, investment, tourism, smart urban development, education-training and culture.

He called on Singapore to consider expanding investment in other areas, apart from real estate and traditional craft villages.

Dung briefed the ambassador on the COVID-19 vaccination in Hanoi which is at the fastest pace nationwide, with 99 percent of people aged above 12 years old getting the second jab, and more than 40 of people above 18 receiving booster shots.

The rate of fatalities accounts for only 0.4 percent, mostly unvaccinated cases, the official added.

With great efforts and achievements in the pandemic combat, Hanoi is now confident to reopen socio-economic activities after the Government issued a resolution on safely and flexibly adapting to and effectively controlling the pandemic, he affirmed.

Industrial clusters in Hanoi maintained operations despite COVID-19 lockdowns, helping to raise the city’s industrial production in 2021 by 4.78 percent from the previous year, the official added.

The city’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) last year grew 2.92 percent, as compared with the national average of 2.58 percent.

Hanoi is accelerating long-term projects despite the pandemic to ensure sustainable development, Dung said.  

For his part, the ambassador held that the two sides should tighten solidarity and cooperation in the time ahead, noting the political trust between the two countries would enable them to step up cooperation.

Vietnam and Singapore should strengthen collaboration in human resources development and sustainable tourism, and expand people-to-people exchange, he said.

Singaporean enterprises wish to expand investments in Hanoi and its adjacent localities, he said, suggesting the two sides soon set up connectivity to enhance cooperation in the fields in which Hanoi is interested./.