Ho Chi Minh City – Mumbai establish friendship and cooperation relations

Standing Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Loc Ha (left) and Minister of State for Home Affairs of India Nitayanad Rai (right) exchange the Memorandum of Understanding on establishing friendship and cooperation relations between Ho Chi Minh City and Mumbai on May 6. (Source: VOV).

Expanding local cooperation with India

On May 6, at the ceremony for the exchange of cooperation documents between the ministries and sectors of Vietnam and India, witnessed by General Secretary and President To Lam and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Standing Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Loc Ha and Minister of State for Home Affairs of India Nitayanad Rai exchanged the Memorandum of Understanding on establishing friendship and cooperation relations between Ho Chi Minh City and Mumbai.

The event holds special significance in the context of bilateral relations being upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, emphasizing shared vision, strategic convergence, and practical cooperation with the aim of turning intentions into concrete results. The Memorandum of Understanding has been warmly welcomed by senior leaders of both countries and is expected to promote cultural, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding, the authorities of the two localities have agreed to promote cooperation in key areas such as trade and investment, education and training, culture and tourism, urban planning and development, infrastructure, urban sanitation and waste management, ecological conservation, emergency response, green growth, digital transformation in transportation, and the provision of basic public services.

With this Memorandum of Understanding, the number of foreign localities having friendship and cooperation relations with Ho Chi Minh City has increased to 88, marking a new development in the city's local foreign affairs. Notably, Mumbai is the first locality in India to establish friendship and cooperation relations with Ho Chi Minh City, demonstrating the city's proactive and pioneering spirit in expanding local cooperation, contributing to the realization of Vietnam's comprehensive, deep, and effective international integration policy.

Standing Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Loc Ha attends and speaks at the Roundtable Conference with Mumbai businesses on May 7.

Opening new areas of cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and India

Also within the framework of the working visit, Standing Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Loc Ha attended and spoke at the Roundtable Conference with Indian businesses organised by the World Trade Centre Mumbai. The event was attended by Mr. Ashish Jaiswal, Minister of State for the Government of Maharashtra and Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Ramtek constituency, along with approximately 70 Indian businesses in fields such as tourism, biotechnology, infrastructure, logistics, finance, and information technology.

Through these engagements, the Indian business community expressed interest in the Vietnamese market in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, especially proposing to expand cooperation in areas such as tourism, particularly heritage-linked tourism; green energy, green ammonia production, waste-to-biogas conversion; renewable energy; sustainable production; digital transformation; logistics, seaports, finance, education and training, film industry, biotechnology, public health, and cultural cooperation through UNESCO's Creative Cities Network.

Overview of the Roundtable Conference with Indian businesses in Mumbai on May 7.

At the conference, Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha affirmed that Ho Chi Minh City is ready to accompany and create favourable conditions for Indian investors to research and expand their activities in the city, viewing the success of businesses as the city's success. He also suggested that businesses on both sides strengthen practical connections, turning cooperation opportunities into specific programs and projects, thereby promoting the Ho Chi Minh City – Mumbai relationship in particular and Vietnam – India relations in general.

Additionally, Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha also worked with the Indian Chamber of Commerce in New Delhi on cooperation activities in tourism, energy, investment and trade, and establishing a regular business connection channel between Ho Chi Minh City and the Indian business community; worked with ACME Group on renewable energy cooperation and a green ammonia production project in Vietnam with a total expected investment of about 9 – 10 billion USD; worked with GPS Renewables and SatyaGiri Group on solutions for waste-to-energy conversion, organic waste treatment, biogas, clean fuels, and renewable energy.

Through establishing friendship and cooperation relations between the two cities and implementing economic diplomacy activities immediately after Vietnam and India upgraded their relationship to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Ho Chi Minh City continues to affirm its proactive and pioneering role in international integration, actively concretizing the foreign policy of the Party and State, contributing to realizing high-level commitments between the two countries, while expanding practical cooperation space with Indian partners in the new phase.

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