Ho Chi Minh City is looking for ideas to build a monument to celebrate its friendly and cooperative relationships with 58 localities worldwide. 

The city is calling for entries to the 'Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Symbol Design Contest,' which is held by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of External Relations, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, the Ho Chi Minh City Business Association, and INSEE Cement Company.

The contest is endorsed by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee.

Tuoi Tre News introduced some monuments which celebrate friendships between cities and countries around the world:

Sister Cities Sign at Hallidie Plaza, San Francisco

“In the city’s Hallidie Plaza, just steps away from our iconic Powell Street Cable Car turnaround, we’ve unveiled a cluster of new street signs that recognize each of San Francisco’s sister cities,” the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) announced in an article on their website in July 2018.

According to SFMTA, each sign points in the general direction of the sister city, with information on how many miles away it is. 

The signpost has attracted both locals and tourists to visit, and SFMTA has also called on people to check out the work when coming to San Francisco.

Los Angeles Sister Cities Monument

The Los Angeles Sister Cities Monument is in California in the United States.

Designed by Brigid LaBonge in 2002, the fingerpost monument is installed in front of South City Hall and across from Los Angeles City Hall.

It also displays the names of Los Angeles' sister cities and the distances from the city to those places.

The monument ranks 424 out of 800 things to do in Los Angeles on Tripadvisor. 

Shanghai Monument at Zabeel Park in Dubai

In May 2009, the Shanghai Monument was unveiled at Zabeel Park in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

According to Gulf News, the monument represents replicas of different landmarks and high rises of the city of Shanghai such as the Oriental Pearl Tower, Jin Mao Tower, World Financial Center, Shanghai Museum, the Yang Pu Bridge, to name a few.

The Amicitia France-Canada Monument 

Amicitia France-Canada is the national monument erected in Ottawa to recognize more than four centuries of shared history and heritage and over 90 years of official diplomatic relations between France and Canada, according to amicitiafrancecanada.com.

Located in historic Beechwood Cemetery -- the national cemetery of Canada -- this monument, inaugurated in 2022, is meant to be a living testament to the countries' everlasting friendship.

Amicitia France-Canada is the Latin expression for 'fraternal friendship France‑Canada.'

Yokohama and San Diego friendship

The Yokohama Friendship Bell in San Diego, U.S.. Photo:: Koji Kuninaga/ Yokohama Visitors Guide

In May 1958, Japan's Yokohama City of Kanagawa Prefecture presented the Yokohama Friendship Bell to its sister city of San Diego. 

According to Yokohama Visitors Guide, the monument was part of the centennial celebration of formal relations between Japan and the U.S. and also served to mark the establishment of the sister city relationship between San Diego and Yokohama.

In 1960, San Diego City presented and installed the 'Guardian of Water' statue at the Yamashita Park in Yokohama. 

The Three-Country Cairn in Sweden, Norway, and Finland

The Three-Country Cairn is the tripoint at which the international borders of Sweden, Norway, and Finland meet, and the name of the monument that marks the point. 

“Tucked away in the stunning landscapes of Sweden, Norway, and Finland, the Three-Country Cairn represents the harmonious relationship between these Nordic neighbors,” Akbar Travels wrote about the monument. 

“One of the simple yet significant friendship monuments around the world, it marks the point where the borders of the three countries intersect, symbolizing their peaceful coexistence.”

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