Hanoi wants to ratify the memorandum of understanding for its partnership with Los Angeles in 2023, said Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, chairman of the Hanoi People's Council.

The meeting between officials of Hanoi and the city of Los Angeles in the USA on August 14 (local time). Photo: Nguyen Truong/The Hanoi Times

He said the signing of the MoU will be significant in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Partnership.

"It will further develop bilateral relations between the two nations," he said at a meeting with local authorities of the city of Los Angeles on August 14 (local time).

He also expected Los Angeles to help Hanoi's businesses explore the US market and increase their exports.

Hanoi, on the other hand, will help US businesses expand their operations in the capital in smart city development, infrastructure development, urban planning and transportation, healthcare, technology transfer, innovation, and waste and sewage treatment, Tuan said.

These are also the focus areas in which the two cities have agreed to cooperate in 2018.

Delegation and people-to-people exchanges are also important activities between the two cities, the Vietnamese official said.

"The close relationship between Hanoi and US cities, and between Vietnam and the US, is the foundation for us to strengthen our partnership in the future," he said.

Paul Krekorian, President of the Los Angeles City Council, and Erin Bromaghim, deputy mayor of Los Angeles, agreed that the US city would expedite the ratification of the partnership agreement with Hanoi.

Los Angeles will soon send a delegation led by the mayor to visit Hanoi and Vietnam, expecting that the people of Hanoi and Los Angeles will have more opportunities to understand each other, they said.

Paul and Erin also appreciated the ideas of the Vietnamese officials and said that their visit would be very meaningful and useful in helping the two cities strengthen their ties.

The Vietnamese delegation also visited some of the urban transport projects in Los Angeles, including the city's newest metro line.

The visit to Los Angeles is part of the Hanoi officials' business trip to the US from August 13-23.

Tuan and other Hanoi officials will fly to France after completing their work in the US.