At the working session between the Hanoi delegation and IPR Deputy General Director Sébastien Alavoine. (Photo: VNA) 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.
Vietnamese and French partners exchange cooperation deals during the Hanoi-France investment, trade and tourism promotion conference. (Photo: VNA) 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./.
