On the afternoon of July 28, Vice Chairman Hoang Nguyen Dinh of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee received President Salvador Illa i Roca of the Catalonia Government of Spain and his delegation during their working visit to Ho Chi Minh City.
At the meeting, Vice Chairman Hoang Nguyen Dinh said that during Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's official visit to Vietnam in April 2025, Sanchez also visited Ho Chi Minh City. Leaders from both sides agreed to promote bilateral ties across multiple sectors, including friendly and cooperative relations between local governments. The visit by the President of the Catalonia Government, together with the initiative to organize the Catalonia–Ho Chi Minh City Investment Promotion Conference, further implements that shared direction.
Ho Chi Minh City and Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in 2009, but few concrete activities have been carried out since then. The current visit therefore provides an opportunity for both sides to update the cooperation agenda in line with new potential and emerging needs.
Introducing Ho Chi Minh City's strengths, the vice chairman of the municipal People's Committee proposed that the Catalonia Government continue to share its experience and cooperate on urban planning, public transportation development, urban rail systems, sustainable tourism management, education and training, and expanded cultural, tourism, and sports exchanges.
Catalonia President Salvador Illa i Roca thanked Ho Chi Minh City leaders for their warm reception and praised the city's investment environment and its strategy to develop cutting-edge technology industries.
The Catalonia President also highlighted Catalonia's strengths as one of Spain's leading economic engines and a major center for innovation, science and technology, culture, and tourism, particularly in high technology, the digital economy, and tourism. He expressed his hope of expanding cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and the Catalonia Government in areas where both sides have complementary strengths and shared interests.
