Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) held a conference on people-to-people diplomacy on October 6, discussing solutions to further enhance the effectiveness of the work in the city.
Nguyen Truong Nhat Phuong, Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council, along with representatives from the municipal Party Committee, People’s Committee and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, departments and agencies, member organisations of the union, and overseas Vietnamese people attended the event.
Talking about the results of people-to-people diplomacy, HUFO Vice President Ho Xuan Lam said that over the past 37 years, the union and its member organisations had proactively conducted activities in people-to-people diplomacy, cultural and economic exchanges, and connected domestic and international organisations.
They have also worked to mobilise public support and promote Vietnam’s positions on issues related to peace, environmental protection and national sovereignty, while linking friendship activities with education, culture and economic cooperation. These efforts have contributed to the city’s overall external relations, he said.
From July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, the union and its member organisations coordinated in organising 163 people-to-people diplomatic events, in addition to regular activities.
The activities included celebrations of national days and milestones in Vietnam’s bilateral relations with other countries, reception of foreign delegations, cultural exchanges and festivals, cooperation in education and sustainable development, humanitarian activities and international solidarity, as well as traditional education programmes.
He called on municipal departments and agencies to continue coordinating with and supporting people-to-people diplomacy, and to incorporate such activities into their international cooperation programmes so that they can become a resource for the development of the city and the country.
Ho Chi Minh City currently has 117 licensed foreign NGOs operating in areas including healthcare, education, social protection and community development.
As of September 2026, the municipal People’s Committee had approved 30 applications to receive and implement project and non-project aid packages, with total committed funding of about 302 billion VND (11.6 million USD). Of the amount, 20 project aid packages were worth 137 billion VND, while 10 non-project aid packages totaled 165 billion VND.
Participants at the conference also received updates on people-to-people diplomacy and foreign NGO activities in the city, as well as legal regulations on the management and use of non-refundable aid from foreign agencies, organisations and individuals. They also discussed cooperation with foreign NGOs and international organisations./.
VNA
