At the meeting, Mr. Tran Van Bay expressed his delight at the continued growth of the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Indonesia, which has become increasingly comprehensive, substantive, and effective. At the local level, Ho Chi Minh City has consistently attached importance to strengthening friendly and cooperative ties with Indonesia in general and with Indonesian localities in particular. In 2025, two-way trade turnover between Ho Chi Minh City and Indonesia exceeded US$1.5 billion. However, the Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee noted that cooperation has yet to fully reflect the considerable potential of both sides.
He said there remains ample room for the two sides to enhance cooperation and share experiences in such areas as safe urban governance, disaster response, climate change adaptation, and the development of the marine economy. In the fields of defense and security, Ho Chi Minh City hopes to promote cooperation with Indonesia in combating transnational crime, drug-related offences, cybersecurity threats, and other non-traditional security challenges.
Regarding subnational cooperation, Ho Chi Minh City and Padang City of West Sumatra Province are preparing to mark the 10th anniversary of their friendship and cooperation partnership in 2026.
Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Tran Van Bay affirmed that the city authorities would continue to create favorable conditions for businesses and localities of both sides to expand bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual strength and demand in the coming period.
Agreeing with the views expressed by Vice Chairman Tran Van Bay, Mr. Dave Akbarshah Fikarno Laksono, Head of Information and Communications of Indonesia's Golkar Party and Vice Chairman of the House Commission I (the Committee on Security, Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Intelligence in the House of Representatives of Indonesia), said that Indonesian partners are keen to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular in such fields as trade, investment, logistics, high technology, and fisheries and seafood industries.
