HCM City beefs up cooperation with Canada, Lithuania

Phong spoke highly of the significant contributions made by the Canadian ambassador to promoting bilateral cooperation.HCM City hopes Canada will pay more attention to collaboration in fields of its strength such as banking, finance and smart urban development, Phong said.He also suggested the two sides outline cooperation programmes in education and vocational training, saying nearly 5,000 Vietnamese students are studying in Canada, the largest number among Southeast Asian nations.Kitnikone said she hopes there will be more exchanges between the two countries’ businesses.She hailed the city’s potential and expected more Canadian enterprises will come to explore business opportunities in Vietnam’s southern economic hub.While receiving Marciulionyte, Phong described HCM City as an ideal investment destination for both domestic and foreign firms and a trade connection centre with many countries worldwide.

Aiming to become a trade-finance hub of the country, HCM City encourages investment in improving transport infrastructure, building smart urban areas, developing high-added value industries and increasing human resources quality, he said.Phong believed that with strengths in science-technology, start-ups and innovation and food processing, Lithuania and HCM City will have more cooperation programmes in the coming time.Future connectivity between their businesses will contribute to promoting the two countries’ trade and investment relations, he added.Marciulionyte said she was impressed with the city’s dynamic development and hoped the two nations will soon sign agreements to implement cooperation in science, information technology and agriculture.She agreed that the commitment of HCM City to support the establishment of the Lithuanian consulate in the city will help propel bilateral relations forward.