Nguyễn Thị Lệ (right), chairwoman of HCM City People’s Council, and Bae Han Chul (left), chairman of Gyeongsangbuk Provincial Council, on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Many opportunities for co-operation exist between HCM City and the South Korean province of Gyeongsangbuk in areas such as investment, trade and cultural exchange.

Nguyễn Thị Lệ, Chairwoman of HCM City People’s Council, welcomed a delegation from the Gyeongsangbuk Provincial Council from South Korea, led by its chairman Bae Han Chul, on Friday.

Lệ expressed her joy with the strong development of Việt Nam and Korea’s bi-lateral relationship, demonstrated through exchanges in many areas such as politics, economy, trade, investment, culture and education.

The two countries officially elevated their relations to the level of “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” in December 2022, 30 years after the official establishment of their diplomatic relations (December 22, 1992 – December 22, 2022).

She said that HCM City considers South Korea as one of its closest and most trustworthy partners. The country is currently the city’s fourth largest investor, with nearly 2,200 projects under operation at a total investment value of US$5.5 billion.

Around 80,000 Koreans and 2,000 Korean businesses are in the city, contributing to its development and fostering co-operative relations between the two countries.

HCM City has established friendly and co-operative relations with eight Korean localities, including Gyeongsangbuk Province.

In the past few years, the city and Gyeongsangbuk have had many effective co-operation activities, such as working trips, supporting each other during the COVID-19 pandemic, cultural exchanges and trade facilitation.

Lệ hopes that the Gyeongsangbuk Provincial Council will encourage South Korean businesses and investors to look for co-operation activities in HCM City in key areas such as infrastructure development, innovation, bio-technology, automation, green economy and clean energy.

Bae Han Chul said that South Korea and Việt Nam have a rich history of cultural exchange, and the two country’s relations are growing stronger.

Gyeongsangbuk has advantages in industry, information technology, high-tech agriculture and tourism.

Gyeongsangbuk’s strengths are areas that HCM City is paying attention to, which makes for great co-operation opportunities between the two localities.

The province also has a provincial representative office in the city, and many businesses from the province are partners with Korean corporations in Việt Nam, which will facilitate investment, trade and cultural exchange activities between HCM City and Gyeongsangbuk. — VNS