Ho Chi Minh City will host the Friendship Dialogue and Economic Forum in September with a wide range of activities.

Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue 2024

The Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue, in its second edition after the first in 2022, will be organized under the theme of 'Industrial Transformation: Experience and Priorities in Development Cooperation' from September 23 to 24. 

The event aims to promote relations between Ho Chi Minh City and its sister localities around the world, as well as creates an opportunity to promote Vietnam and its people to international friends.

One of the highlights of the event will be a mayor summit which is expected to see the participation of central leaders, ministries, city leaders, and representatives of 58 international localities that have friendly and cooperative relationships with the Vietnamese city. 

There will be discussions on the strengths, priority areas, and potential for international cooperation among localities aiming for sustainable development goals.

There will also be proposals for collaborative initiatives among these localities to advance industrial transformation in support of these goals.

The 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue will also see the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Symbol at Bach Dang Wharf Park in District 1.

A contest seeking for the symbol's design titled 'Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Symbol Design Contest' was launched late last year, and the winning project 'Song Nuoc Giao Hoa, Ket Tinh Huu Nghi' by architect Bui Minh Chau was chosen to be brought to life. 

In addition, the city has also planned to welcome delegates attending the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue with a series of activities, including walking to experience the city, enjoying egg coffee, seeing hot-air balloons, and cruising on the Saigon River, to name a few.

Ho Chi Minh City Economic Forum 2024

Meanwhile, the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Economic Forum – HEF will take place from September 24 to 27, with the main events falling on September 25. 

In his remarks at a press conference to announce the two events on Thursday, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of External Relations Tran Phuoc Anh emphasized that the organization of the 2024 Friendship Dialogue associated with the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Economic Forum not just creates a framework to strengthen Ho Chi Minh City's friendly relationship with other localities.

It is also an opportunity to share and discuss experiences, strategies, and solutions to enhance cooperation for sustainable development, as well as to strengthen Ho Chi Minh City's foreign affairs and international cooperation, he added.

The 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Economic Forum, which is in its fifth year, focuses on the theme of 'Industrial Transformation: New Driving Force for Sustainable Development of Ho Chi Minh City.'

It aims to share experiences and receive comments from domestic and international financial institutions, corporations, speakers, and reputable experts on the city's socio-economic development, as well as key goals and programs.

This year's HEF is expected to see the participation of around 1,200-1,500 delegates from Vietnamese ministries; international institutions and organizations; local and international localities; representatives of diplomatic agencies, consulates, and businesses; as well as domestic and foreign experts in economics, technology, industrial transformation, and sustainable development.

During the plenary session on the morning of September 25, there will be presentations on the global megatrends of industrial transformation, governance ecosystems and policies driving this transformation, Ho Chi Minh City's industrial transformation strategy in the context of regional and international connectivity and emerging technology trends, and the role of the Center for the 4th Industrial Revolution (C4IR) in Ho Chi Minh City in relation to industrial transformation.

On the afternoon of the same day, a policy dialogue will take place, featuring discussions between the prime minister, leaders of central ministries, the Ho Chi Minh City leadership, and representatives from both domestic and international corporations.

Within the framework of the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Economic Forum, the Center for the C4IR in Ho Chi Minh City will also be launched the same day, marking the collaboration between Ho Chi Minh City and the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The center, which is the second C4IR in Southeast Asia after the one in Malaysia, is part of the WEF’s global network of Fourth Industrial Revolution centers.

It acts as a hub for collaboration in research, policy recommendations, resource mobilization, and technology transfer in industrial transformation.

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