HCM City leader vows to facilitate French business operations

Ho Chi Minh City’s officials pledged to work with France on measures to bolster bilateral trade and investment, as well as to facilitate market access for each other’s products.

HCM City leader vows to facilitate French business operations Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Dinh La Thang (right) talks with French President François Hollande (Credit: infonet)

During a reception for French President François Hollande in Ho Chi Minh City on September 7, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Dinh La Thang also assured the guest that the city would continue facilitating business operations, especially in the fields of France’s strengths such as finance-banking, trade, transport, post and telecommunications, electronics and information technology, among others.

Thang expressed his hope that France would continue providing official development assistance for the city, with a focus on infrastructure, the provision of clean water and the environment.

In education and training, he expressed his wish that France would give support to programmes to train talented students in the city’s universities, offer more scholarships to Vietnamese students and assist Vietnam in training government officials.

The French President, for his part, said the bilateral strategic partnership, which was established in 2013, had brought about fruitful results for the environment and healthcare.

He promised to introduce the latest technologies to Vietnam and believed that the outcomes of his visit would open up more business opportunities in trade, culture and education, among others.

The guest expressed his wish that both sides would co-operate closely on education and training, especially in the development of the French-speaking community and French culture in Vietnam and Vietnamese culture in France.

President Hollande suggested introducing the French language into school curricula in Ho Chi Minh City, noting that language training co-operation could serve as a bridge to strengthen mutual understanding and trust.

The same day, the President met with the French business community in the city and visited the Heart Institute which is a model for healthcare co-operation between Ho Chi Minh City and French partners./.

Source: NDO/VNA