Hanoi, Guangdong strengthen cooperation in urban management

As Hanoi accelerates its urban development, it is keen to learn from Guangdong Province's experiences in urban governance and construction, creating significant opportunities for cooperation.

Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Van Phong and Guangdong Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee Yuan Gujie. Photos: The Hanoi Times

Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Van Phong shared the view at a meeting with a Member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee Yuan Gujie on May 22 during a working visit to China.

During the discussions, both sides exchanged information on their respective economic and social developments.

Guojie emphasized that 2023 marked a pivotal year for China-Vietnam relations following the visit of General Secretary and President Xi Jinping to Vietnam. The China-Vietnam cooperation continues to strengthen and reach new heights, including the partnership between Guangdong Province and Hanoi, she noted.

In 2023, Guangdong-Vietnam trade topped the national rankings, with a total import-export value of $48 billion. A large number of Guangdong enterprises, including both state-owned and private companies, have invested heavily in Vietnam. The relationship between Vietnam and China, particularly between Guangdong Province and Hanoi, is strong and characterized by many similarities.

Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Van Phong reiterated that Hanoi attaches great importance to its relations with China and its localities, including Guangdong Province. This delegation's visit includes a special event to mark the 30th anniversary of the official friendship between Hanoi and Beijing, Phong noted.

Delegates at the meeting.

The visit to Guangzhou also aimed to implement directives from Hanoi and Guangdong leaders. Phong noted that as Hanoi accelerates its urban development, there are ample opportunities for cooperation in urban governance and construction. Hanoi seeks to learn from Guangdong's experiences in these areas and welcomes investments from Guangdong's enterprises with strong capital and technology.

During a meeting with the Secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee Guo Yonghang on the same day, Phong emphasized that Guangzhou shares many cultural and historical similarities with Hanoi.

Therefore, Hanoi aims to strengthen its cooperation and exchanges with Guangdong Province and Guangzhou. This includes enhancing training for officials at all levels, student exchanges, and cultural collaborations, especially in preserving and promoting the cultural values of historical sites and cultural heritage, he noted.

The Hanoi's delegation visits cultural spots in Guangzhou.

Phong added that Hanoi also seeks to bolster people-to-people diplomacy, particularly youth exchanges, and to promote investment in areas where Guangdong excels, such as urban infrastructure development, urban management, transport infrastructure, metro systems, river bridges, digital transformation, green development, and semiconductor manufacturing.

The Secretary of Guangzhou mentioned that the memorial site of the Headquarters of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth League—a precursor of the Communist Party of Vietnam founded by Nguyen Ai Quoc, who also initiated the newspaper "Thanh Nien" as the League's organ and trained the first revolutionaries for Vietnam—has been preserved and maintained by Guangdong's leaders and people. The site is regularly visited by the people of Guangdong and Vietnam to pay their respects to President Ho Chi Minh, who greatly contributed to the friendship between the two countries, he said.

Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Van Phong and Secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee Guo Yonghang.

On March 26, 2024,  the 100th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's revolutionary activities in Guangzhou, the city renovated the memorial site to highlight its historical value and tell the story of Sino-Vietnamese friendship, further fostering the traditional friendship between the two countries.

According to Guo, China and Vietnam, neighboring countries with similar cultural histories and political systems, have seen their cooperation and exchanges develop well in recent years.

"We have the responsibility to concretize this friendship through actions, exemplified by the high-level delegation from Hanoi visiting Guangdong," the Guangzhou Secretary emphasized.

The graduation ceremony of Hanoi’s official training course at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou.

He also expressed the desire for Hanoi, Guangdong Province, and Guangzhou to have more practical and effective cooperation in the future, implementing the agreements made by the top leaders of China and Vietnam.

As part of the Hanoi delegation’s visit to China, on May 23, Phong and other delegates attended the graduation ceremony of Hanoi’s official training course at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. This was the first course under the cooperation agreement on training and developing officials for the 2024-2028 period, signed on April 2, 2024, during the visit to Hanoi by Guangzhou Party Secretary Guo Yonghang.