Nguyễn Mạnh Cường, vice chairman of the HCM City People's Committee and US Consul General Melisa A. Brown. VNA/VNS Photo

HCM  CITY — HCM City aims to develop high-tech urban agriculture in the 2026-2030 period and wishes to expand cooperation with US partners in plant varieties, biotechnology and technology transfer, a municipal official has said.

Nguyễn Mạnh Cường, vice chairman of the municipal People's Committee, made the statement at a ceremony honouring Việt Nam-US agricultural cooperation, jointly organised by the US Consulate General in HCM City and the US Department of Agriculture on Monday.

The event was attended by US Consul General in the city Melisa A. Brown and members of a US agricultural trade mission, which includes more than 30 American agricultural businesses and officials in charge of agriculture and trade from several US states.

Speaking at the ceremony, Cường said agricultural cooperation between Việt Nam and the US had been built over many years, based not only on trade but also on technical cooperation and mutual trust.

The two sides have worked together to train experts, strengthen plant and animal quarantine cooperation to facilitate market access for each other's agricultural products, and implement food safety improvement programmes.

Within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, agricultural cooperation has increasingly delivered practical benefits to farmers, businesses and consumers in both countries, he noted.

Cường said HCM City, a major economic and commercial centre and an important international trade gateway of Việt Nam, has advantages in seaports, logistics and retail networks.

These strengths could enable the city to become a major hub for receiving, processing and distributing agricultural products and food in southern Việt Nam.

The city will continue creating favourable conditions for US businesses to expand trade and investment, while working with the US Consulate General to connect businesses from both sides, he said.

He also called on the US to facilitate greater access to its market for Việt Nam's key agricultural products, helping promote balanced and mutually beneficial agricultural trade.

For his part, US Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden said the US agricultural trade mission, visiting HCM City from November 9 to 12, is the largest overseas agricultural trade mission in the history of the US department.

During the visit, the delegation has seen strong interest among Vietnamese consumers in US agricultural products, which are valued for their nutritional content, quality and safety, he said.

Vaden highlighted the complementary nature of bilateral trade, citing US cotton exports to Việt Nam and Việt Nam's garment shipments to the US, as well as US hardwood and softwood supplies and Việt Nam's furniture exports to the American market.

The US wants to build sustainable partnerships with Vietnamese associations, so that it can increase exports of raw materials to Việt Nam while helping Vietnamese businesses produce and export more finished goods to the US, he noted.

Việt Nam is not only one of the fastest-growing markets for US agricultural products but also a highly valued one, Vaden said, adding that stronger cooperation would benefit American farmers, Vietnamese companies and consumers in both countries. VNA/VNS