On 1 July 2016, ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) led a Chinese media delegation to conduct interviews in Ho Chi Minh City and Tây Ninh Province in Viet Nam.
The delegation interviewed H.E. Mr. Tran Vinh Tuyen, Vice Chairman of People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City. Vice Chairman Tran welcomed the delegation, outlined the city’s economic and social development, as well as its cooperation with other parts of the world. He said Ho Chi Minh City had developed quite fast. With a population of over 10 million, it was the center of economy, commerce, finance, tourism and services in Viet Nam. Its economic aggregate and fiscal revenues both accounted for 30% of the national total. The city was one of the few in Viet Nam that boasted semi-conductor processing and manufacturing technologies and had attracted a host of world-renowned high-tech companies. Business exchanges between the Ho Chi Minh City and China had been on the rise. Trade between the two sides in 2015 totaled 3.1 billion dollars, up by 37%. In the first half of 2016, it reached 1.57 billion dollars, up by 8.24%. China was the biggest destination of agricultural exports from Viet Nam, accounting for 1/3 of the total exports of Viet Nam. He said that Viet Nam and China enjoyed huge cooperation potential and he looked forward to greater cooperation and better communication channels between the two sides so as to facilitate cooperation between the companies and help Vietnamese companies find more competitive and credible Chinese partners. The Municipal Government of the Ho Chi Minh City would step up urban management, ensure political stability and social security and provide stronger guarantee for economic development.