Hanoi is willing to step up efforts in investment promotion, collaboration, and exchanges with the UK across various sectors, with a particular focus on high technology, biotechnology, smart urban development, and financial hubs.

Delegates at the meeting. Photos: The Hanoi Times

The view was shared during a visit from Hanoi’s high-ranking delegation led by Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front – Hanoi Chapter Nguyen Lan Huong to the UK from October 9-13.

As part of the working program, the delegation on October 9 participated in the Vietnamese promotion program in the UK and held discussions with officials and community representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK and the Vietnamese community in London.

During a meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK and Northern Ireland Nguyen Hoang Long, Huong expressed her pleasure to visit overseas Vietnamese in the UK. She briefed them about Hanoi's socio-economic situation and the sectors in which the capital is seeking investment cooperation.

Currently, the UK ranks 11th in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Hanoi, with 80 projects worth  US$826.93 million. In the first half of 2023, Hanoi's exports to the UK reached $44 million, with major items including various garments (comprising 24% of Hanoi's exports to the UK), machinery and equipment (19.8%), various footwear (12%), ceramics, and other items.

In the same period, Hanoi imported $58 million worth of goods from the UK, mainly metal and mechanical components (54%), electronic and computer components (4.2%), pharmaceuticals, and other items. The city welcomed 2.03 million international visitors in the first half of the year, a sevenfold increase compared to the same period in 2022, with 81,460 tourists arriving from the UK.

Notably, as both countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations (1973-2023), Hanoi's Culture and Sports sector collaborated with the British Embassy in Hanoi to organize the "Education - Development - Sustainability - Trade" event from September 8 to 10, 2023, at Hoan Kiem Lake walking street.

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen addresses the meeting.

Ambassador Long expressed his appreciation for the purpose and significance of this visit, particularly in the context of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the UK. He highlighted the huge potential cooperation between the two sides, given Hanoi's unique advantages and the UK’s role as one of two international financial centers.

The Ambassador encouraged Hanoi to connect, invest, and collaborate with the UK in the international financial sector, emphasizing the potential for cooperation in the digital economy and clean energy transformation, areas in which the UK excels.

In response, Huong thanked the Embassy for its support and expressed hope for continued collaboration to promote Hanoi's image on the international stage and strengthen friendly relations between Hanoi and UK localities.

Huong also briefed the Ambassador on Hanoi's future development directions, saying that the capital city is seeking the Embassy's assistance in enhancing investment promotion, exchange, and cooperation across various sectors, including high technology, biotechnology, smart urban development, and financial centers, particularly within Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park and Bio-High-Tech Industrial Park (located in Bac Tu Liem District).

She also suggested that the Embassy collaborate with the British Embassy to host exhibitions introducing England's culture and people in Hanoi and to foster people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.

Huong also requested the embassy's assistance in promoting Hanoi as a tourism destination in the UK enhancing cooperation in agricultural product processing, agricultural machinery and equipment industries, and facilitating the access of Vietnamese agricultural products to the UK market.