Ho Chi Minh City seeks deeper cooperation with US

He made the remarks at a ceremony on Tuesday at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House marking the 30th anniversary of Vietnam–U.S. relations, attended by city leaders, U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Melissa A. Brown, and representatives from both countries.

Duoc noted that Vietnam and the U.S. normalized their ties in 1995, their cooperation has grown across politics, security, economy, trade, investment, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.

Key milestones include the establishment of a comprehensive partnership in 2013 and its upgrade to a comprehensive strategic partnership in September 2023.

Vietnam is now the U.S.’s eighth-largest trading partner, while the U.S. is Vietnam’s second-largest trading partner and top export market.

Duoc reiterated the city’s consistent commitment to expanding multifaceted cooperation with American partners, focusing on science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and the development of a high-quality workforce.

Today, the municipality hosts major U.S. tech investors, including Intel, NVIDIA, AMD, and Marvell.

He highlighted the city as the birthplace of Vietnam–U.S. cooperative initiatives, notably the establishment of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam and the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program, the precursor to today’s Fulbright University Vietnam.

The southern metropolis was also the first Vietnamese city to establish ties with San Francisco in 1995 and later signed a friendship agreement with New York City in 2023.

“Such cooperation highlights the city’s long-term desire to deepen ties with U.S. partners,” Duoc said.

Consul General Brown described the Vietnam–U.S. relationship as a story of diplomatic success, evolving from conflict to cooperation.

She said the 30th anniversary marks the beginning of another three decades of deeper partnership and shared prosperity.

Brown highlighted the private sector as a key driver of bilateral cooperation, with collaboration spanning supply chains, energy, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors.

She noted that joint efforts by businesses and governments have become a stabilizing force amid global challenges.

She also emphasized education and people-to-people exchanges as the heart of the relationship, saying that hundreds of thousands of students have participated in programs fostering mutual understanding and friendship.