Chief Secretary Carrie Lam has started her four-day visit to Vietnam to forge closer links between the two places.
After arriving in Ho Chi Minh City last evening, Mrs Lam attended a dinner reception with Hong Kong people living and working in the city to brief them on the latest developments in Hong Kong, in particular the new business opportunities arising from the future ASEAN-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement and the Belt & Road Initiative.
This morning, Mrs Lam called on Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong, to update him on the latest developments in Hong Kong and to exchange views.
She was briefed on the Committee’s efforts in developing the city into an economic hub of the nation, which clearly opened up more opportunities for the two cities to strengthen ties in trade and investment.
She then paid a courtesy call on the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China to Ho Chi Minh City Chen Dehai and thanked him for offering consular assistance to Hong Kong people in need and for supporting the HKSAR Government’s promotion work in the city.
After that, Mrs Lam visited the Saigon Central Post Office and the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon to learn more about the city’s work in preserving historic buildings.
She also met with young leaders of the Sunwah Foundation Global Young Leaders Network and exchanged views with them. Mrs Lam encouraged the young leaders to seize the excellent learning opportunities offered by the network to broaden their international exposure and to develop their leadership skills and commitment to social services.
Later, Mrs Lam spoke at a business luncheon co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Singapore and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce.
She highlighted the competitiveness of Hong Kong, its unique position as the “super-connector” between Mainland China and the rest of the world including Vietnam, and the important roles that Hong Kong could play under China's Belt & Road Initiative.
She also said she believed that the future ASEAN-Hong Kong FTA would be an important milestone for ASEAN member states including Vietnam to build closer economic and trade ties with Hong Kong.
In the afternoon, Mrs Lam visited a fashion accessory factory owned by a Hong Kong company in Ho Chi Minh City before leaving for Hanoi in the evening.
