UK-Ho Chi Minh City has promising potential in green development

British Ambassador Iain Frew believes that the UK can cooperate with Ho Chi Minh City in the fields of green finance, health and education to promote green and sustainable development.

British Ambassador Iain Frew shared with The World & Vietnam some potential cooperation between the UK and Ho Chi Minh City. (Source: Ben Thanh)

According to the Ambassador, how can the UK contribute its experience and knowledge to the green and sustainable development process of Ho Chi Minh City?

Firstly, I am delighted to be able to attend the economic forum held in this city. I think this is a truly meaningful event for the sustainable development of the economies of both countries. I am also particularly pleased that we are here at the time of the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-UK relations. In that context, I think this can be considered a milestone marking the cooperation achieved between the UK and Ho Chi Minh City and considering how to build and expand that cooperation in the future.

I think UK expertise can play a key role in sustainable economic development. Sustainability is at the heart of what we are doing in Vietnam, with the Ho Chi Minh City government and businesses. This builds on Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 at the COP26 summit in Glasgow in 2021.

We are working closely together on that important goal, including working together in the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to support the green transition. I am delighted that Ho Chi Minh City is also joining the commitment to net zero emissions by 2050. We will support this through energy transition activities and businesses that help reduce emissions.

Could you please suggest some specific cooperation between the two sides in this field?

At the time of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, we listed a number of areas as high priorities for cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City, and to date, we have achieved certain results. Our aim is to support the sustainable development of the city in particular, creating momentum for the next phase of economic development of Vietnam in general.

First of all, we are working closely together on financial services, which is a strength of Ho Chi Minh City. However, in the context of the city wanting to develop a financial center, the UK can contribute in terms of expertise and experience.

This is a promising area of ​​cooperation as the UK capital London is the world's leading international financial centre. We are also working to connect UK cities and Ho Chi Minh City to develop a regional support plan.

At the same time, the two sides are also looking towards the future of healthcare and life sciences, an area in which a number of important British companies have invested in Vietnam, with Ho Chi Minh City currently a potential location for building healthcare and life sciences centres.

Finally, the UK and Ho Chi Minh City are working really closely together in the education sector. This is an important area for both Vietnam and the UK. British universities and schools are very active in Vietnam, as is the British Council. When I was invited to Ho Chi Minh City earlier this year, I was delighted to learn that we had the best international education fair there.

These are all important areas of our cooperation. I hope that the UK and Vietnam, as well as Ho Chi Minh City, will continue to work closely together, towards building a sustainable economic future, for the benefit of our peoples in the next 50 years.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dai-su-iain-frew-vuong-quoc-anh-tp-ho-chi-minh-co-tiem-nang-hua-hen-trong-phat-trien-xanh-241654.html