Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the remark at an April 27 reception in Hanoi for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s (SMBC) managing director for Asia Pacific Shosuke Mori.

The PM lauded the bank’s effective investment activities in the country in recent times, particularly in areas of energy and infrastructure, with direct funding from the bank to local enterprises having hit US$1.8 billion.

He said the collaboration between the bank and enterprises and investors in Vietnam has helped to realise the two countries’ strategic partnership. In return, the director thanked the Vietnamese government and the PM for their support to the bank, while asserting that the bank will continue expanding investment in the country, contributing to the strategic partnership and the friendship between the two nations.

Currently, the bank has two branches in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with US$500 million in capital.