During the event, the president of the association Nguyen Anh Tuan reviewed important milestones in bilateral relations, while stressing that the friendship and cooperation between the two countries continued to develop actively, deeply, efficiently and comprehensively. He said that trust and mutual understanding were increasingly strengthened through the exchange of senior delegations and cooperation mechanisms.

The president of the Vietnam - Germany Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City speaks at the event. Photo: VNA /CVN

At the local level, the southern megalopolis is still one of the first localities to implement cooperation activities with Germany, including the city of Leipzig, in various fields. Germany is a big customer of Ho Chi Minh City, a market for trade promotion and important investment, especially in the implementation of its metro project N ° 2 of the German teaching project in some colleges of the city, of the Vietnamese-German University, he noted.
As of 2020 Vietnam and Germany are both non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Vietnam assumes the rotating ASEAN presidency and Germany is the president of the European Union (EU) in the second half of the year. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which entered into force on August 1 offers many opportunities for businesses from both nations, he said.
Nguyen Anh Tuan also thanked Germany, in coordination with the EU, for expressing their position concerning the issue in the East Sea, supporting the settlement of disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, in particular the Convention of the United Nations on the Law of the Sea 1982 the guarantee of free trade, international maritime and air navigation for the peace and stability of the region and the world.
Josefine Wallat, Consul General of Germany in Ho Chi Minh City, insisted on the development of bilateral relations in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic through charitable activities, the delivery of medical equipment and masks to the Vietnam to Germany. She also informed that a cultural and gastronomic festival of Germany will be held in November in Ho Chi Minh City on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (1975-2020), this which will help stimulate good bilateral relations, those between Ho Chi Minh City and the German localities in particular.
Germany is Vietnam's most important trading partner in the EU. Bilateral trade has doubled since 2010 to reach over 10 billion dollars in 2018. Germany ranks 18th among countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with more than 300 companies, 361 cooperation projects in the mechanical sectors , machinery manufacturing, logistics, chemicals, renewable energies with a total investment of around $ 2 billion. Conversely, Vietnam has 35 investment projects in Germany totaling more than $ 250 million, particularly in finance - banking, IT, hotels, etc.
VNA /CVN