HCM City, Belarus’s Minsk city deepen economic, cultural ties

The deal is built on a friendship pact established between the two cities in 2008, promising to deepen trade, economic and humanitarian collaboration.

Both cities have committed to facilitating business delegation visits and business-to-business (B2B) networking events to showcase the vast potential of their economic collaboration. Additionally, plans are underway to host Minsk Day in Ho Chi Minh City and Ho Chi Minh City Day in Minsk, which will feature product and service exhibitions, business forums, and B2B negotiations.

In the realm of culture and tourism, they will jointly hold cultural exchange activities focusing on reading, including book and publication displays and sharing of library management experience. Information sharing and efforts for promoting tourism exhibitions, presentations, forums, seminars, conferences, and other events will also be supported in both localities.

The collaboration extends to health care and education, with plans to hold advanced training courses for specialised doctors from Ho Chi Minh City at medical facilities within Minsk's state healthcare system. Efforts will also be made to increase the number of scholarships made available to Ho Chi Minh City students at universities and technical colleges in Minsk and Belarus, with a particular focus on the medical and engineering disciplines.

Nadzeya Lazarevich, First Vice Chairwoman of the Minsk city Executive Committee, expressed her hope that the Ho Chi Minh City Day in Minsk will be organised soon, allowing the Belarusian people to gain a deeper understanding of Vietnam.

Belarus offers scholarships to foreign students, and Minsk will create conditions for students from both countries, she said, promising to give scholarships to five Vietnamese students in Belarus and support them during their stay. She also looked forward to Vietnam welcoming Belarusian students as well.

At the signing ceremony, discussions centred on various specific issues related to educational cooperation, including student and teacher exchanges, thematic workshops, and sharing experience in healthcare practices. The cities also aim to commercialise medical products of shared demand and enhance bilateral tourism connectivity.