The Vietnam - Germany Friendship Association in HCM City held a gathering on October 1 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of German Reunification (October 3).

The Vietnam - Germany Friendship Association in HCM City holds a gathering on
October 1 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of German Reunification (October 3).

Speaking at the event, Association Chairman Nguyen Anh Tuan affirmed that the bilateral friendship and cooperation has been growing effectively and comprehensively over the years.

Mutual trust and understanding between the two nations have been strengthened via high-level visits and cooperation mechanisms, he said. During the visit to Vietnam by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in October 2011, the two Government leaders signed the Hanoi Joint Statement on the establishment of the Vietnam - Germany strategic partnership, in which specific goals and measures to boost ties in priority fields were outlined.

At the local level, HCM City has taken the lead in carrying out cooperative activities with Germany, including Leipzig city, in various fields.

Tuan described Germany as a major trade partner of the city with a range of projects contributing to boosting bilateral links.

As Vietnam and Germany are both non-permanent members of the UN Security Council this year and Vietnam has also assumed the role of ASEAN Chair 2020 and Germany is Chair of the EU for the second half of the year, Tuan believes that the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement will open up huge opportunities for the two nations’ businesses.

He thanked Germany, together with the EU, for expressing their stance on the East Sea issue, including supporting the peaceful settlement of disputes in line with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

German Consul General in HCM City Josefine Wallat, for her part, said COVID-19 has brought the two peoples together, as evidenced by Vietnam’s timely provision of medical supplies to Germany.

She said a number of German cultural and cuisine activities will take place in HCM City during November to mark the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations, Germany is consistently the largest trade partner of Vietnam in Europe. Two-way trade has doubled since 2010 to over US$10 billion.

Germany is now the 18th largest investor in Vietnam, with over 300 enterprises and 361 projects worth more than US$2 billion in the fields of mechanical engineering, logistics, chemicals, and renewable energy.

Vietnam has invested in 35 projects valued at over US$250 million in finance-banking and hospitality in Germany.