HCM City meeting marks 50 years of Vietnam – UK diplomacy
VOV.VN - The administration of Ho Chi Minh City held a ceremony on September 14 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the UK.
In his speech, Pham Van Mai, head of the municipal administration, emphasized that after half a century, Vietnam - UK relations have been continuously strengthened and developed both bilaterally and multilaterally, especially following the establishment of their strategic partnership in 2010.
The two countries have maintained many important cooperation frameworks and mechanisms, including the strategic dialogue, the joint committee for economic and trade cooperation, and the working group on defense.
Trade cooperation is an important pillar in bilateral relations, with two-way trade turnover reaching US$6.8 billion last year thanks to the enforcement of the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, making the UK Vietnam’s third largest trading partner in Europe and the ninth largest export market in the world.
In addition, bilateral cooperation in other fields such as culture, education and people-to-people exchanges has also been strengthened.
He especially noted with satisfaction the fruitful cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and the UK, especially in the fields of trade, investment, education, health, tourism and cultural exchange.
As of July 2023, the UK ranked 11th out of 120 countries and territories investing in the southern metropolis, with 273 projects valued at nearly US$960 million.
The UK has run training courses to improve the capacity of local civil servants for the city’s financial hub project, and is providing technical support for the locality to build smart urban areas.
Taking the floor, British Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Emily Hamblin for her part expressed her belief that the UK would be a reliable partner for Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular in the coming decades.
She voiced the UK’s hope that Vietnam would achieve its set sustainable development goals, realize the net zero commitment by 2050 and move towards becoming a high-income country by that time.
The UK is proud to join hands with Vietnam in addressing global issues for common interests of the two countries, she stressed.
She pledged the UK would support Ho Chi Minh City in undertaking its ambitious projects, including those to become a financial service centre, an innovation centre and a smart city.
