District 12 of Hanoi and German District Look to Strengthen Ties

At the working session. Photo: VNA

Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh recently held a working session with Nadja Zivkovic, mayor of Marzahn-Hellersdorf borough of Berlin, to discuss ways to beef up its cooperation with Vietnamese localities via specific projects in the near future, VNA reported Sunday.

The ambassador thanked the Board of Directors as well as the district administration for the past time for always supporting and creating good conditions for the Vietnamese community to stabilize and integrate into life in Germany

Minh hoped that Marzahn-Hellersdorf would continue offering support to the overseas Vietnamese community there, enabling them to grow stronger and make even more positive and diverse contributions to the borough’s development, including the Pacific Trade Centre or Vietnamese pagodas within the borough.

Speaking highly of a cooperation agreement between the borough and Hanoi’s Hoang Mai district, he underlined the need to resume cooperative relations after over two years of disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in education, vocational training, nursing and green technology.

According to the diplomat, the amendments to the Immigration Law recently approved by the German federal parliament will provide good opportunities for Vietnamese people to integrate even further into their second homeland.

Vietnam is ready to partner with the borough to materialize these opportunities, especially in education, vocational training, nursing and more, he said.

Ambassador Vu Quang Minh (third, from the left) and Nadja Zivkovic, Marzahn-Hellersdorf mayor (centre) at the session. Photo: VNA

As several German states and cities are fostering relations with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam, the ambassador suggested that apart from Hoang Mai district, Marzahn-Hellersdorf should consider expanding collaboration with districts in Ho Chi Minh City – a dynamic and rapidly developing city with several underway German projects.

Zivkovic, for her part, lauded the OV community’s integration and contributions in the borough and committed to providing all possible support for them for common development.

She hoped to visit Hoang Mai district in November together with a delegation of businesses working in areas where both sides have interest.

Hoang Mai is one of the six districts/cities worldwide with which Marzahn-Hellersdorf has established a partnership. The borough also named a street “Hanoi” (Hanoier Strasse) in compliance with the regulations to name streets after cities rather than districts.

According to preliminary statistics, there are close to 5,000 Vietnamese people residing and working in Marzahn-Hellersdorf at present.

Apart from Hanoi, HCM City has been making efforts to accelerate bilateral cooperation and to translate its collaboration agreements with other German localities into real-life projects, particularly in economy, commerce, and investment

In February, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and Germany’s Frankfurt agreed to further strengthen cooperation between the localities across fields at their meeting in the southern economic hub.

Receiving acting mayor of the German city Nargess Eskandari-Grunberg, Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai welcomed the inauguration of the city’s representative office in the city and pledged cooperation and best conditions possible for its operation in contribution to boosting the bilateral relations.