First Deputy Mayor of Germany’s Leipzig city Torsten Bonew presents a gift to Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Vo Van Hoan. (Photo: VNA) Hoan highlighted the similarities between the two cities as the major economic hubs of each country as well as their sound collaboration in many fields such as healthcare and caring for animals at the city's Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden.
HCM City hopes to learn Leipzig’s experience in dealing with its current problems such as traffic congestion, environmental pollution, and employment, he said, asking for the German city’s increased exchange of delegations with HCM City to deepen mutual understanding and strengthen mutual support.
Hoan said that HCM City is keen on working with Leipzig in building mechanisms of coordination in organising activities to celebrate the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Germany diplomatic relations in 2025.
In the future, the two cities should continue to enhance the efficiency of cooperation activities in healthcare, clean water supply and wastewater treatment, while expanding their ties to education, investment and urban management.
For his part, Bonew showed his impression of the dynamism, optimism and creativity of HCM City residents, and held that the two cities have faced similar problems in urban development such as traffic jams, environmental pollution and immigrants.
He said that the two city’s leaders should meet and listen to ideas from experts in these areas to exchange experience in dealing with the problems.
Bonew underscored that Leipzig and HCM City, which have set up twinned relations, have set a model in locality-to-locality cooperation between the two countries. The two cities should conduct more specific and effective cooperation activities to mark the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2025, he said.
Noting that Leipzig is now the only German locality to open its representative office in HCM City, Bonew expressed his hope that HCM City will consider the opening of a representative office in Leipzig.
The same day, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Ngo Minh Chau also had a meeting with Ricardo Valente, Councilor for Finance, Economic Activities and Monitoring of Portugal’s Porto city.
Welcoming the visit by Valente who has been accompanied with a number of businesses of Porto, Chau described it as an important milestone in the partnership between the two cities, especially in economy.
HCM City hopes to penetrate Europe more deeply through Portugal in general and Porto - the second biggest city of Portugal and the country’s northern economic hub - in particular, he said, pledging that HCM City is ready to become a gateway for Portugal to enter the ASEAN market. Chau expressed hope that Porto will share its experience and cooperate with the city in preserving and restoring ancient architectural works as well as cultural and historical tourism development.
Valente said that Porto has worked hard to build and strengthen its relations with HCM City through delegation exchanges, meetings and working sessions of leaders of the two cities.
He lauded the theme of the HCM City Economic Forum, affirming that Porto is interested in green growth in its development policy.
Porto is willing to share its experience and learn from HCM City in socioeconomic development, including building a green and sustainable development strategy, he stated./.
VNA
