Hanoi is seeking Singapore’s support and experience in developing smart cities, planning, training qualified human resources, environmental protection, and urban technical investment.

Delegates at the meeting. Photos: Thanh Hai

Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung gave the remarks in a meeting with Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on June 22.

“Such move would help Hanoi to promote its rapid and sustainable development pace,” Dung added.

For the first six months of the year, Dung noted, amid serious Covid-19 impacts, Hanoi’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth is estimated at 6% and the city stays second in foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction nationwide.

In the 2018-2019 period, Hanoi remained the most preferred FDI destination in the country with an average registered capital of US$7.5 billion.

According to Dung, 25 years after the establishment of the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP), Singapore has turned into one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam in general, and Hanoi in particular.

Overview of the meeting.

Hanoi is home to 434 projects financed by Singaporean investors with a combined registered capital of US$7.43 billion, the amount which is second only to Japan's.

“Hanoi is pushing for greater improvement in business and investment environment, for which the people and enterprises are major beneficiaries,” Dung said, adding the VSIP model is “suitable to the capital city.”

On his part, Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan congratulated Vietnam and Hanoi on the effective containment of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vivian agreed with Hanoi’s vision that every city’s development should lie in addressing urban issues during a digital era, especially in smart cities.

The Singaporean foreign minister shared with Hanoi his country’s experience in developing smart cities and addressing issues related to urban infrastructures while inviting the Hanoi’s Party chief to visit Singapore in the coming time.

Dung expressed his thanks for Vivian’s invitation and his belief that the Singaporean foreign minister would serve as the bridge to facilitate the relations of the two countries, as well as between Singapore and Hanoi in various spheres.