Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – Leaders of Ho Chi Minh City held bilateral meetings with representatives of several foreign localities attending the third Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue 2026 (FD 2026) on September 11.
Nguyen Loc Ha, Standing Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, received Enai Diamela Palacios Acosta, President of the People’s Power Assembly of Cuba's Santiago de Cuba province; Va Than, Governor of Cambodia’s Kratie province; and Phouvong Ounkhamsen, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Council of Laos’ Xieng Khouang province.
Meanwhile, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Bui Xuan Thach met with Tomohide Sato, Vice Governor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government; Grant Smith, Mayor of Palmerston North city, New Zealand; and Ricardo Concepción Rodríguez, Governor of Cuba’s Artemisa province.
The foreign delegates expressed their pleasure at attending the FD 2026, saying the event provides a valuable platform for enhancing cooperation among localities and supporting their future development.
The leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and foreign localities shared information on their respective socio-economic development and development priorities, and discussed areas of potential cooperation based on their respective strengths.
Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo consented to step up preparations for a memorandum of understanding that would provide a stable framework for bilateral cooperation. Priority areas include innovation, smart-city development, digital governance, green urban development, flood resilience, seaport development and logistics.
Vietnam's southern metropolis and Palmerston North also agreed to work toward signing a letter of intent to broaden cooperation beyond education to areas including agricultural products, food, logistics, trade, urban development and people-to-people exchanges.
Ho Chi Minh City and Santiago de Cuba shared a view that building on a cooperation memorandum signed in 2007, the two sides will expand collaboration in healthcare, agriculture, trade, tourism, investment, transport and renewable energy. They will also coordinate in implementing the Joint Declaration of the third Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue 2026.
The city also agreed with Kratie and Xieng Khouang provinces to strengthen investment and trade promotion, expand cooperation in areas where Ho Chi Minh City has expertise, including agriculture and renewable energy, and share experience in public administration./.