Võ Văn Hoan, deputy chairman of the HCM City People's Committee (right) gives a gift to Joseph Nguyen, a senator from the US state of Washington, who is leading a delegation to HCM City to foster bilateral ties. - VNA Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City wants to strengthen its friendship and co-operation with the US state of Washington in various areas, Võ Văn Hoan, deputy chairman of the HCM City People's Committee, said on Thursday while welcoming Joseph Nguyen, a senator from the state and his delegation, who are visiting Việt Nam.

He said HCM City is researching and orienting its economy towards green development and digital transformation to keep up with global trends.

He hoped Washington businesses would be a part of its transformation, partaking in areas it prioritises such as semiconductor technology, digital transformation and green energy.

He also wanted Washington to help the city draft policies and get US investments into its proposed international financial centre.

The two sides would co-operate to organise networking and meeting events for their businesses and ordinary people, he said.

Hoan called on Washington to partake in the 2024 HCM City Economic Forum and 2024 HCM City Friendship Dialogue to explore co-operation opportunities.

Joseph Nguyen, Washington’s first ethnic Vietnamese senator, thanked him and described the city’s dynamic development as impressive.

Washington wants to strengthen friendship with HCM City, especially in commerce and investment, he said, adding that his delegation’s working trip would be an important milestone and the beginning of a long-standing and prosperous relationship.

Washington is also willing to work with HCM City to carry out networking and dialogue events to lead up to specific co-operation activities, he promised.

My Linh Thai, a Vietnamese-American Washington congresswoman, praised HCM City’s development vision and expressed her wish to be a bridge between her second home, the US, and Việt Nam, especially in areas like education and health.

In 2025, the US and Việt Nam would celebrate the 30th anniversary of normalisation of diplomatic relations, which would be a good opportunity for them to promote co-operation in economics, technology and culture, thus developing their friendship further, she added. VNS