Hanoi seeks stronger partnership with Ile-de-France region
Paris (VNA) – A delegation of Hanoi, led by Deputy
Secretary of the municipal Party Committee and Chairman of the city People’s
Council Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, has paid a working visit to France to seek stronger partnership
with French partners.
On August 21, the delegation had a working session with the Institute for Urban Planning and Development - Ile de France (IPR), during which
the two sides discussed a number of cooperation projects in the time to come,
including those on public transport, planning and expansion of pedestrian streets around Hoan Kiem Lake, and the planning and preservation of Duong Lam
ancient village.
Tuan highlighted the fruitful partnership between Hanoi and the Ile-de-France
region since the two sides set up their relations in 1989, as well as the
efficiency of joint programmes and projects in various fields, which have
greatly contributed to the Vietnamese capital city's socio-economic development.
He said Hanoi hopes to continue receiving close cooperation
from the French region in the time to come.
For his part, IPR Deputy General Director Sébastien Alavoine
welcomed the Hanoi delegation’s visit which aimed to specify the joint action
programme signed between the two localities for the 2022-2025 period.
He said that the collaboration between Hanoi and Paris over
the past 34 years is a diverse cooperation model, allowing IPR to carry out
effective activities such as engaging in the amendment of the master planning project of
Hanoi.
Alavoine said that the new cooperation period between the two
countries has started with "Moov’Hanoi" project which is significant
amid the current climate change situation. It is expected to make Hanoi's public
transport more attractive and promote multimodal travel, thus contributing to
reducing pollution and environmental protection in the city, he said.
The two sides discussed the efficiency of bilateral
cooperation in urban planning, especially urban traffic, and sought potential
projects in the future, including the Moov’Hanoi project, a project to design
planning and expand pedestrian spaces around the Hoan Kiem Lake, and another to
preserve the Duong Lam ancient village.
During their stay, Tuan and the Hanoi delegation also
attended the Hanoi-France investment, trade and tourism promotion conference,
which drew the attendance of Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, representatives
from the Vietnam Trade Office in France, the Vietnamese Business Association in
France (AB Viet-France), Business France, the Hanoi Promotion Agency, and a
large number of enterprises from Hanoi and France.
Hanoi has been considered a safe, attractive and promising
destination for foreign businesses and investors, Tuan said, affirming that the
city has always focused on improving its investment environment, while creating
optimal conditions for enterprises and investors to explore investment
opportunities in the city.
Ambassador Thang pledged that he will accompany businesses
of Hanoi and France during their cooperation, contributing to bolstering the
Vietnam-France strategic partnership.
Jean-François Ambrosio from Business France said that the event was a good chance to encourage Vietnamese and French firms to foster their
partnership, thus putting Vietnam into the development strategy in Asia of
French companies, and turning France into a gateway for Vietnamese enterprises to
enter the European market.
AB Viet-France Chairman Nguyen Hai Nam said that businesses
need to focus on areas where France has strengths and
Hanoi has demand, including developing sustainable tourism and increasing trade through
international fairs.
Concluding the event, the two sides witnessed the exchange
of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Hanoi Promotion
Agency and AB Viet-France in connecting businesses of Hanoi and France, as well
as cooperation agreements among businesses of the two sides.
The delegation also visited the Vietnamese Embassy in France
before concluding the trip on August 22./.