The HCM City People’s Committee and the Consulate General of the UK in the city on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on co-operation in implementing the future global city programme.– VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY – The HCM City People’s Committee and the Consulate General of the UK in the city on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on co-operation in implementing the future global city programme.

Its aim is to turn the city into a smart city, in the 2019-22 period.

The signing ceremony, held in HCM City, was attended by Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Trần Vĩnh Tuyến and UK Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field.

Under the MoU, the two sides will launch a project to apply smart tickets in public transportation vehicles in the city and develop a geographical information system for the drainage network.

At a meeting with the UK official prior to the signing, Tuyến thanked the UK Consulate General in the city for promoting the partnership, especially in co-operation programmes supported by the UK’s Commonwealth Fund.

He said HCM City is calling for investment in sub-projects of a project to develop smart city, and hopes to gather financial support and consultations from the UK.

The city is also implementing technological solution packages to deal with urgent matters in transport, health care, and urban environment, he said, expressing his hope to learn from the UK’s experience.

Praising education and training in the UK, the city official proposed Field help encourage UK universities to collaborate with their peers in Việt Nam and increase scholarships for students.

Field showed his impression at the development of the city, reaffirming the UK Government’s wish to strengthen affiliation with Việt Nam and HCM City, especially in trade, investment and people-to-people exchange.

He said the British Business Group in Việt Nam based in HCM City is a good linkage for the UK and the city to promote their bilateral trade and investment ties.

Congratulating the city on finishing the first phase of the smart city project, he pledged the UK will continue to work with the city in the field, especially in technological solutions to responding to flooding and smart urban transportation.

He expressed his hope that HCM City will make it easy for the British Business Group in Việt Nam to set up a centre to support small- and medium-sized enterprises and start-up firms of the UK to invest in the city. — VNS