On behalf of the city’s leaders, Vice Chairman Tran Van Bay congratulated Ambassador Yaron Mayer on the successful completion of his tenure and highly appreciated his positive contributions to strengthening friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Israel.
During Ambassador Yaron Mayer’s tenure, the two countries signed the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA), creating an important foundation for Vietnamese agencies and businesses, including those in Ho Chi Minh City, to connect with and learn from successful Israeli models in areas such as high-tech agriculture, innovation, education and training and cybersecurity.
Briefing the ambassador on the city’s development orientations, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Tran Van Bay said that following its merger, Ho Chi Minh City has a population of more than 14 million and a new urban space, with the city targeting double-digit economic growth in 2026. The city hopes to build a solid foundation for deeper and more effective cooperation with international agencies and businesses, including Israeli enterprises.
Vice Chairman Tran Van Bay expressed his hope that, regardless of his future position, Ambassador Yaron Mayer would continue to pay attention to and provide practical support for Ho Chi Minh City in areas where the city has demand and Israel has strengths.
Thanking the city’s leaders for the reception, Ambassador Yaron Mayer affirmed that Israel places great importance on and seeks to further promote cooperation with Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in innovation, high-tech agriculture, energy and cybersecurity.
Ambassador Yaron Mayer highlighted the considerable potential for cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides, noting that many Israeli businesses are interested in exploring opportunities in the Ho Chi Minh City market.
Welcoming the city’s proposal to broaden cooperation, the ambassador said Israel would pilot several promising cooperation models before expanding them more widely, while enhancing private-sector connectivity to further promote bilateral trade and investment in line with the two sides’ potential.
