A high-level delegation from Ho Chi Minh City led by Le Quoc Phong, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee, conducted a series of working visits to the Republic of Slovakia from October 16 to 17.
Joining the delegation were Chairman Duong Trong Hieu of the HCMC Party Committee's Inspection Commission and head Tran Van Tuan of the HCMC Party Committee's Internal Affairs Commission.
Economic cooperation and urban governance
In Kosice City, the delegation held a working session with Kosice Mayor Jaroslav Polacek. The meeting was attended by Richard Rasi, Speaker of the National Council of the Republic of Slovakia.
During the working session, Permanent Deputy Secretary Le Quoc Phong exchanged views with Mayor Jaroslav Polacek to promote friendly relations and cooperation between HCMC and Kosice City.
On the occasion of the visit, the Permanent Deputy Secretary signed the city's guest book on behalf of the working delegation, witnessed by Speaker Richard Rasi and Mayor Jaroslav Polacek.
The year 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of friendly cooperative relations between HCMC and Kosice City. Permanent Deputy Secretary Le Quoc Phong affirmed that this visit and working session provided an opportunity for both sides to consolidate the foundation of their cooperative relationship and explore new directions, creating further momentum for increasingly practical cooperation that benefits the people.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed various topics linked to the development needs of both cities, including urban governance, science and technology, human resources training, and green transition. This serves as a foundation for agencies, universities, and businesses from both localities to enhance connectivity and step-by-step form concrete cooperative activities.
Continuing the working trip to Slovakia, Permanent Deputy Secretary Le Quoc Phong held a working session with Vladimir Simonak, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy of Slovakia, aimed at promoting economic, trade, and investment relations between HCMC and Slovakia.
Affirming the role of Mr. Vladimir Simonak in fostering bilateral economic relations between Vietnam and Slovakia, the Permanent Deputy Secretary expressed confidence that the State Secretary would continue to show interest in connecting the business communities of Slovakia and HCMC, particularly in high-tech industries, mechanical engineering, automation, and supporting industries.
Permanent Deputy Secretary Le Quoc Phong emphasized that the city is ready to create favorable conditions for Slovak enterprises to explore investment opportunities, while expressing the hope that Slovakia will leverage its role as a bridge to help HCMC businesses access European markets and supply chains.
Key areas include stepping up cooperation among businesses, research institutes, and universities, especially in digital technology, artificial intelligence, and smart manufacturing; linking research and technology transfer with high-quality human resource training, thereby contributing to enhancing competitiveness and participation in each side's technology value chains.
Ho Chi Minh City is currently developing an International Financial Center alongside a large-scale seaport and logistics system. Both sides agreed to step up cooperation and support connections among financial institutions, businesses, and Slovak investors interested in these sectors, aiming to exploit HCMC's role as a gateway connecting with ASEAN and Slovakia's role as a gateway to the Central and Eastern European markets.
Expanding cooperation between HCMC and Bratislava Region
At the Bratislava Regional Office (Republic of Slovakia), Permanent Deputy Secretary Le Quoc Phong held discussions with Chairman Juraj Droba of the Bratislava Region on promoting friendly cooperative relations between the two localities.
The Permanent Deputy Secretary affirmed that HCMC always attaches importance to cooperative relations with Slovak localities and partners. In that spirit, HCMC hopes that Mr. Juraj Droba will continue to support and advance the friendly cooperative ties between Vietnam and Slovakia in general, and between HCMC and Slovak partners in particular.
The two sides agreed to propose enhancing cooperation across various fields such as regional governance and development; transportation and sustainable development; science, technology, and training; and people-to-people exchanges. Chairman Juraj Droba of the Bratislava Region also proposed establishing sister-school partnerships between educational institutions in HCMC and the Bratislava Region.
The HCMC Permanent Deputy Secretary expressed confidence that, with the foundation of traditional friendship between the two countries and new momentum from the Vietnam-Slovakia Strategic Partnership, cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and the Bratislava Region enjoys favorable conditions to develop deeply and comprehensively, bringing practical benefits to the people of both localities.
At the Slovak Government Office, Permanent Deputy Secretary Le Quoc Phong met with Director General Andrea Pobocik of the Department of State Security and Prevention of Corruption (Slovak Government Office).
Highly valuing Slovakia's experience in formulating and implementing anti-corruption policies, the Permanent Deputy Secretary expressed confidence that both sides will strengthen experience exchanges, share information, and promote appropriate professional cooperation, making practical contributions to the Vietnam-Slovakia Strategic Partnership.
Cooperation content focuses on exchanging experience in policy advice and coordination for corruption prevention; building internal control mechanisms, managing corruption risks, controlling conflicts of interest, and enhancing the responsibility of officials and civil servants. Simultaneously, both sides seek to strengthen coordination between functional agencies, apply technology and data in prevention and early detection of violations, and share effective models and approaches tailored to each side's practical conditions.
Within the framework of the visit, the HCMC delegation visited and worked with the Vietnamese Embassy in Slovakia. The Permanent Deputy Secretary extended greetings to the embassy officials and staff.
The Permanent Deputy Secretary expressed confidence that the embassy will continue serving as a bridge to promote cooperative relations between HCMC and Slovak localities and partners, affirming that HCMC stands ready as a solid rear guard to support the embassy in successfully fulfilling its political tasks assigned by the Party and the State.
Affirming that the overseas Vietnamese community is a significant resource for HCMC's development, the Permanent Deputy Secretary expressed the hope that the embassy will continue to coordinate closely with host country authorities to support overseas Vietnamese in integrating well while preserving connections with their homeland, making positive contributions to building Vietnam-Slovakia friendship and cooperation.
HCMC promotes cooperation in education and technology with Košice IT Valley and Technical University of Košice (TUKE)
During a visit to Slovakia, a delegation from Ho Chi Minh City met with leadership from the Košice IT Valley and the Technical University of Košice (TUKE).
The Technical University of Košice specializes in fields such as mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, information technology, civil engineering, mining, materials science, and aviation. It is also recognized for its applied research in areas including artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, biomedical engineering, and 3D-printed medical implants.
The university maintains an ecosystem focused on innovation and technology transfer. Currently, it is participating in the "Digital Move" project—an initiative centered on digital transformation in higher education—in collaboration with several partners in Vietnam, including the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City.
