Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc suggested further boosting economic, trade and investment ties between Vietnam and the US city of Los Angeles during a reception for its Mayor Eric Garcetti in Hanoi on July 28. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti 

The PM told his guest that the US’s exports to Vietnam have kept increasing, up 19 percent year-on-year in the first half of this year. Vietnamese airlines also bought a large number of aircraft from the US in a short time, he said. 

He stressed that Vietnam considers the US one of the most important partners and wants to continue promoting practical and effective development of the bilateral comprehensive partnership for the benefit of the two countries’ people, thus contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Speaking highly of Garcetti’s visit, the PM said Vietnam regards California as one of its top local partners. 

He hailed the upcoming launch of Vietnam-Los Angeles direct air route, saying that transportation is also a promising field in bilateral cooperative ties. 

PM Phuc urged US firms, including those owned by Vietnamese-American to push the US government to soon recognise Vietnam as a market economy, open the door for more Vietnamese goods and reduce trade and non-trade barriers. 

The leader reiterated Vietnam’s consistent policy of considering overseas Vietnamese an inseparable part and one of the important resources for national construction and development. 

As California state, Los Angeles and Orange County are home to large number of people of Vietnamese origin, he asked them to create favourable conditions for them to study and work there. 

Vietnam wants US investors to continue increasing investments in the Southeast Asian country to bring benefits to the two nations’ people, he said, pledging all possible support for US firms. 

He wished that the Mayor would encourage exchanges and visits to share information and raise mutual understanding between residents in Los Angeles and Vietnamese localities. 

Garcetti, for his part, said he has loved Vietnam and its people since his first visit over 25 years ago. 

He told the PM that ties between Los Angeles and Vietnamese localities and businesses have kept growing over the past years with increasingly rising trade. 

The Mayor said he had held working sessions with the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to facilitate the launching of the direct air service and a Vietnamese Trade Office in the city, which he said, will create favourable conditions for  Vietnamese tourists to Los Angeles and vice versa. 

Introducing seaports as a strength of Los Angeles, where 40 percent of exports-imports to and from the US are handled, he suggested that Vietnam should partner with the city in the field to raise two-way trade.

Hanoi, Los Angeles agree on cooperation areas

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung (R) and Mayor of the US city of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti 

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung and Mayor of the US city of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti have agreed to cooperate in addressing environment and transportation issues and develop Hanoi into a smart city.

During a working session in Hanoi on August 28, Chung briefed the guest about the city’s socio-economic achievements after 10 years of adjusting its administrative boundary.

Chung said Hanoi now has a total area of over 3,300 sq.km with a population of more than 10 million. Since 2008, its economy has expanded by 2.5 times, average income per capita has risen 2.8-fold while the number of foreign tourists to the city surged to 4.95 million in 2017 from 1.3 million in 2008. 

The rate of poor households in the city has dropped to 1.68 percent, which is expected to fall to below 1 percent by the end of this year, he said.

The chairman suggested signing a cooperation agreement, with priority given to urban issues, tourism and smart city development as Hanoi is stepping up the building of an e-government. 

Garcetti, for his part, said Los Angeles is ready to help Hanoi improve air quality and reduce environmental pollution. 

He proposed the two cities establish twinning ties to offer mutual support in many fields, initially in dealing with transport congestion, reducing pollution, building smart cities in tandem with cultural and people-to-people exchanges. 

Los Angeles wants to send its students to Hanoi and other Vietnamese cities and provinces for exchange, he said. 

Agreeing with the proposal of setting up twinning relations between Hanoi and Los Angeles, Chung expressed readiness to welcome Los Angeles students and hoped that the two cities will conduct regular exchanges to expand friendship ties between the two cities and the two nations in general.-VNA