HCMC hopes for assistance from French enterprises in developing services activities along the Sài Gòn River and its economy in general, city authorities told the Movement of the Enterprises of France in their meeting on Tuesday in France. – VNA/VNS Photo

FRANCE – Co-operation with French enterprises would contribute to the development of economic activities along the Sài Gòn River and HCM City’s economy in general, city Party Chief Nguyễn Văn Nên told a meeting in France on Tuesday with the Movement of the Enterprises of France, acronym MEDEF.

HCM City has been enhancing its socio-economy post-pandemic, particularly focusing on restructuring, improving infrastructure, and becoming a multi-centre mega-urban city with a priority on making the Sài Gòn River a driving force, he said.

To harness the river’s economic potential, the city would first focus on repairing barriers along its banks and invest in a multi-functional infrastructure system that serves both tourism and economic activities, he said. 

His visit was meant to partly find out France’s experiences in river planning, solicit investments from its enterprises and find consultants to develop services along the Sài Gòn. 

Nên noted with gratification the solidarity between the two countries in politics, economics, trade, culture, and education.

“France is among Việt Nam’s top European trade partners, and bilateral trade between the two has rebounded post-pandemic, reaching $5.3 billion last year.”

Being an economic, cultural, and educational hub, HCM City is a promising market for French business, he said.

But the city still faces challenges in building infrastructure, digitising, improving human resources, and fighting environmental problems, he said.

At the event, he said support from French enterprises would be a great contribution to the development of HCM City.

The chairman of MEDEF, Francois Corbin, said Việt Nam is an extremely promising market in Asia for French enterprises.

“Especially with its positive economic growth post-pandemic, Việt Nam is a strong candidate for the change in Asian value chains.”

Gerard Wolf, chairman of the MEDEF Task Force for Sustainable Cities, said French enterprises are ready to provide services if needed to HCM City in four areas: water management, green power, waste management, and public transportation.  VNS