During their ongoing visit and activities in Sweden, the delegation of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, led by Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Le, had a working session with the Vietnamese Embassy in Sweden.
Before commencing the working session, the delegation showed their respect to Uncle Ho at the Vietnamese Embassy in Sweden.
Ambassador Tran Van Tuan informed about the Vietnam - Sweden relationship; affirmed that Sweden always highly appreciates the political stability as well as the development potential of Vietnam. Currently, the Vietnamese community in Sweden has about 17,000 people, the majority of whom are small traders and live in harmony with the local society.
In recent times, the Vietnamese Embassy has consistently sought out and partnered with numerous prominent Swedish enterprises and corporations in sectors like high-tech industry, green industry, and high-tech agriculture. These efforts are aimed at fostering awareness and encouraging investment in Vietnam's development.
He reassured his commitment to further strengthening the ties between Sweden and Vietnam, with a special focus on promoting trade activities and fostering people-to-people exchanges. His efforts aim to contribute to the enhancement of the already strong bilateral relationship.
Chairwoman of the municipal People's Council Nguyen Thi Le highly appreciated the role of Ambassador Tran Van Tuan and the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in Sweden in effectively connecting businesses to learn about investment in Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City.
In light of the recent working trips by Ho Chi Minh City delegations, she emphasized the commitment of the city to promptly carry out exchanges and agreements to advance the practical implementation of the bilateral relationship.
Following the recent visit of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council delegation to Sweden, Ms. Nguyen Thi Le is optimistic that the delegation's activities will bolster efforts to promote and attract substantial investments to the city.
Additionally, the Chairwoman was optimistic that Ambassador Tran Van Tuan will continue to advocate for the signing of various collaborative agreements between Sweden and Vietnam, including with Ho Chi Minh City.
She believed that with the support of Ambassador Tran Van Tuan and the Vietnamese Embassy in Sweden, along with the visit and effort of the delegation, there will be a significant impact on the advancement of a green economy and a circular economy in the 2020-2025 period.
On the Ho Chi Minh City side, with many outstanding policies allowing the city to create favorable conditions for strategic investors, including tax exemptions, import-export procedure facilitation and land use incentives, Ms. Nguyen Thi Le affirmed that city leaders are always ready and provide the best support for Swedish businesses to learn about and invest in the southern largest city.
Earlier on September 9, Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Le and the delegation had a meeting with State Secretary to the Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Sweden, Håkan Jevrell.
During the meeting at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, State Secretary to the Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Sweden, Håkan Jevrell said that Vietnam is an important partner for Sweden in the Asian region and expressed his desire to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
He emphasized that Sweden is always ready to support Vietnam, especially HCMC in sustainable development across key areas, and pledged to create favorable conditions for Swedish businesses to learn about the HCMC market and strengthen people-to-people exchanges between the two sides.
Chairwoman of the HCMC People’s Council Nguyen Thi Le said that the year 2024 marks the 55th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Sweden.
She hoped to enhance delegation exchanges, and share experience in the sectors of mutual interest, such as high-tech industries (particularly semiconductor and chip manufacturing), high-tech agriculture, renewable energy, digital transformation, and human resource training.
She suggested the two sides take advantage of their strategic positions and utilize the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to enhance trade cooperation.
Earlier, the delegation visited Syre, a textile impact company decarbonizing and dewasting the industry through textile-to-textile recycling at hyperscale.
Head of the Sustainability & Public Affairs at Syre, former state secretary to Minister for Enterprise and Innovation of Sweden, Stina Billinger said that the company is currently examining a construction project of a polyester recycling plant in Vietnam worth US$500 – US$700 million, with a particular focus on researching and understanding the investment environment in HCMC.
Chairwoman of the HCMC People’s Council Nguyen Thi Le stated that this sector aligns with HCMC’s goals of green and sustainable development. In addition, the city has favorable conditions for the company to invest and expand regionally and globally.
In particular, the city is applying special mechanisms in the National Assembly’s Resolution No. 98/2023/QH15 on piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies for its development, providing significant support to Syre Company.
In 1969, Sweden was the first Western country to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam. It also had the strongest and earliest movement supporting Vietnam during wartime. In 1968, the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam was allowed by the Swedish Government to establish an Information Office in Stockholm.
Trade between HCMC and Sweden has soared to around US$98 million. Sweden has 48 investment projects with a total capital of over US$269 million, ranking 18th out of 122 countries and territories investing in the city, focusing on sectors including manufacturing, information and communication, water supply, and waste and wastewater management. Notably, HCMC currently has eight trade representative offices in Sweden.
