During the reception, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee congratulated Ms. Mellissa A. Brown on her new assignment in the city and expressed his confidence that she would make significant contributions to furthering the overall relationship between the United States and Vietnam in general, as well as strengthening the friendship and cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and the United States in particular.
HCMC Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc emphasized that Ho Chi Minh City always values and seeks to promote practical and sustainable cooperation with the United States. He also highlighted several recent meaningful exchanges, such as the 30-year celebration for diplomatic relations between the two countries and the Vietnam–U.S. Friendship Festival, which have deepened mutual understanding and goodwill between the peoples of the two countries.
Drawing on the achievements of past effective cooperation and the city’s development priorities, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc proposed several key areas of collaboration, including the economy, education, and human resource development, and also continuing to promote the lowering of U.S. tariff barriers on Vietnam.
On her side, Ms. Mellissa A. Brown expressed pleasure at assuming her duties in Ho Chi Minh City, and affirmed that economic cooperation would be one of her top priorities during her tenure.
She noted that education is a crucial area of bilateral relations, highlighting the shared tradition of academic excellence among students in both countries as a foundation for further collaboration. Thus, the U.S. Consul General committed to promoting economic cooperation in general and implementing specific programs in partnership with Ho Chi Minh City, expressing her desire to accompany the city in its digital transformation strategy.
Ms. Mellissa A. Brown also expressed hope that Ho Chi Minh City would continue to facilitate investment and expansion for U.S. businesses. She affirmed that the U.S. Consulate General would support the city in healthcare and in training high-quality human resources.
