HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City attachesimportance to and pledges to further foster cooperation with Germany in thetime to come, said a local official.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Vo Van Hoan made thestatement at a festival to promote German culture in HCM City on November 28,which is part of activities to mark the 45th anniversary of Vietnam– Germany diplomatic ties.

In his remarks, Hoan highlighted the development of all-around cooperation betweenthe two countries, especially when Vietnam and Germany upgraded their ties to strategicpartnership in 2011.

Germany is an important and reliable partner of Vietnam, and a leading tradepartner of the Southeast Asian country in the European Union (EU), he said.

HCM City has contributed importantly to the bilateral relationship, with tradeturnover between the city and Germany reaching 2 billion USD in 2019 and over1.4 billion USD in the first 10 months of 2020.

Germany currently has 171 investment projects in HCM City in areas such as processingindustry, manufacturing, science and technology, transportation and warehouse.

HCM City is also home to major cooperation projects of the two nations such asMetro line 2, German House, and German International School.

Cooperation and exchanges in art, cultural and social areas between the twosides have been regularly organised, contributing to promoting friendship andunderstanding between people of HCM City and Germany, Hoan stressed.

HCM City established relations with the German cities of Leipzig and Frankfurt,with a series of cooperation activities being carried out effectively, headded.

German Consul General in HCM City JosefineWallat said the festival aims to introduce to HCM City people,especially those that are interested in Germany, unique culture, traditional cuisine,education, and technology of Germany.

She thanked the local authorities for their support and facilitation for operationsof German enterprises and the German community investing in the city.

The festival, which features a wide range of activities such as introducingGerman books, language and food, and art performance programmes, was jointlyorganised by the German Consulate General in HCM City, the German BusinessAssociation, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Germany in Vietnam andGerman House./.