Việt Nam-France business cooperation forum held on Saturday in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — More than 500 managers, scientists and businesspeople from Việt Nam and France gathered at a business forum in Hà Nội on Saturday as part of the 12th Việt Nam-France decentralised cooperation conference.

The forum offered an opportunity to connect authorities of cities, investors and enterprises of the two countries, said Vice Chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee Nguyễn Mạnh Quyền.

He said that the participants also exchanged views, initiatives and solutions to raise mutual understanding and promote cooperation while expanding exchange and collaboration between Vietnamese and French partners.

Quyền briefed the participants on Hà Nội’s socio-economic situation, with its GRDP growing 5.8 per cent in the first quarter of this year, 1.7 times higher than the national average, and its budget collection reaching VNĐ128 trillion (US$5.48 billion), equivalent to 40 per cent of the estimate.

For cooperation with France, he said since 1989, the capital city has attracted about $494.4 million in foreign direct investment from the country, including $7.8 million in 2022 and $0.92 million in the first three months of this year.  

In his remarks, French Ambassador Nicolas Warnery noted that the year 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties and ten years of the establishment of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Over the past three days, the diplomat said the conference looked into solutions and projects on smart cities, sustainable urban and rural development, heritage and tourism.

The French embassy will work to promote mutual understanding and deepen the bilateral relations across spheres, he pledged.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Bích noted that the two countries boast huge cooperation opportunities in the time ahead, explaining that Việt Nam is an active, responsible member of ASEAN.

At the same time, France is a key member of the European Union. Both are members of the Francophone community and the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement. — VNS