This morning, Nguyen Van Duoc, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, received Periasamy Kumaran, who is currently serving as Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs of India.
During the meeting, Mr. Periasamy Kumaran emphasized that 2026 marks an important milestone in India-Vietnam relations as the two countries celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. According to him, many activities commemorating this important event will be held throughout this year.
Expressing pleasure at the continuous development of cooperation in many fields between the two countries in recent years, Mr. Periasamy Kumaran affirmed that India always considers Vietnam a very important and reliable partner in the region. India wants to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in areas including trade, investment, security and defense, green transformation, digital transformation, energy, health, religion, culture, and tourism.
Highly appreciating the development potential of Ho Chi Minh City after the merger, the Indian official stated that Indian businesses wish to participate in urban and community development projects such as the metro system and hope that the HCMC government will create more favorable conditions for Indian businesses to operate and invest in the city.
Agreeing with the views of the Indian Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc said that economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the city and Indian partners continues to expand steadily. He noted that the Indian business community, along with more than 6,000 Indian citizens living, working, and studying in Ho Chi Minh City, has made significant and practical contributions to the city’s socio-economic development.
As the economic engine and innovation center, Ho Chi Minh City has opened up a space and potential for development. Therefore, the city wants to strengthen cooperation in areas where India has strengths, such as healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology; logistics, and maritime transport; Digital transformation, information technology; artificial intelligence; education and training, and the development of high-quality human resources.
Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc added that both sides should continue to promote people-to-people exchanges and expand cooperation in the fields of religion, culture, and tourism. He affirmed that Ho Chi Minh City stands ready to work closely with India to further strengthen political relations, advance substantive cooperation, effectively organize activities marking the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam–India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, implement signed agreements and commitments, and create new momentum to elevate bilateral relations in the coming period in line with the potential and depth of ties between the two countries.
