HCM City hopes to boost cooperation in digital transformation with Sweden: Meeting between Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Vo Van Hoan and Håkan Jevrell, State Secretary to the Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Sweden. (Photo: VNA)

On March 13, the statement was made by Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Vo Van Hoan while hosting Håkan Jevrell, State Secretary to the Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Sweden, who is in the city to attend a Sweden – Vietnam business roundtable meeting on innovation and sustainable development.

Vice Chairman Hoan said that the largest economic hub of Vietnam is also willing to cooperate with Swedish businesses in promoting bilateral trade and collaboration in the field of innovation.

Emphasising the importance of transitioning to green and renewable energies in production, Hoan expressed his wish that Sweden will further strengthen coordination in organising exchange programmes and meetings between Swedish and Vietnamese businesses, including those from Ho Chi Minh City, to promote collaboration in human resources development. He added that the two sides’ enterprises need to consider cooperation in the production of products and goods that meet Swedish and EU standards as a shared responsibility, bringing benefits to them and contributing to fostering bilateral economic and trade ties.

Minister Hakan Jevrell affirmed that Sweden has experience, technology and resources, and is ready to cooperate with Ho Chi Minh City and share development experiences in areas that the city is prioritising such as digital transformation, green growth, and sustainable development.

He also showed his desire to tap the potential for cooperation between Swedish firms and Ho Chi Minh City in the fields of innovation, small- and medium-sized enterprise development, digital transformation infrastructure and data management, and in increasing energy use efficiency, smart electricity transmission as well as water management, and waste and wastewater treatment.

Sweden is willing to share experience with Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City on solutions to increase the use of green energy in production so that products can meet export standards to Europe, and make the most of benefits of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) for trade and economic growth.

On the same day, Vice Chairman Hoan and Minister Håkan Jevrell co-chaired the Sweden – Vietnam business roundtable meeting on innovation and sustainable development.