Ho Chi Minh City looks to receive more cooperation and support from the UK in building a smart city, the municipal leaders told visiting a British secretary of state on Friday.

During a reception in the southern metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong and UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox discusses ways to improve cooperation and investment ties between Vietnam and the UK.

The host underlined that the secretary’s visit opened up cooperation opportunities for British and Vietnamese businesses and increasing the trade value between the two nations in general, and between Ho Chi Minh City and the UK in particular, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

The Vietnamese official said Ho Chi Minh City always welcomes and is committed to creating the most favorable conditions for UK enterprises to invest in the city, particularly in the fields of transport infrastructure, health care, education and e-government development.

In response, Secretary Fox said Vietnam is a prioritized partner of the UK, while emphasizing the huge potentials for cooperation in many fields between the two countries.

He affirmed that the UK is willing to cooperate and assist Ho Chi Minh City in developing an e-government and a smart city.

The UK now ranks 12th among 86 countries and territories investing in the southern megacity, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

The European country is also a big trade partner of Ho Chi Minh City, with two-way trade value topping US$826 million in 2016.

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