At the reception, Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said in the context of deepened and widened Vietnam-UK cooperation and friendship relations, HCMC always considers The UK as one of the most important trade partners.

In 2017, two-way trade between Vietnam and UK reached US$ 795 million and US$ 476 million in the first 8 months of 2018. In term of trade exchange, HCMC exports various items to the UK like agri-forestry products and imports equipment, machinery, food, chemicals from the UK, etc. The UK now has 146 projects in HCMC worth US$ 557 million, this figure is still modest compared to both sides’ potential, according to Mr. Phong.

Mr. Phong expressed his hope that as the Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Gareth Ward will further promote cooperation in fields of investment, trade, international law, national defense and security. Besides, he also hopes the UK Ambassador to Vietnam will strengthen coordination with HCMC to promote smart urban development and other areas like education, people diplomacy.

For his part, Ambassador Gareth Ward expressed his belief that with available potential of the city, UK investors will have many opportunities to invest in many fields such as smart city, infrastructure, finance, tourism. Mr. Gareth Ward hopes that UK and HCMC will realize these initiatives to further promote trade cooperation in the future. 

HCM CITYWEB