Delegates attend the working session. Photo: Le Hai

At the meeting, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Dai Thang expressed his pleasure at meeting Ambassador Ito Naoki again and thanked the ambassador and Japanese agencies for supporting the successful organization of Vietnam - Japan local cooperation forums in Japan over the past year. He noted that cooperation between Hanoi and Japanese partners has continued to develop actively across many sectors.

Ambassador Ito Naoki praised Hanoi's role in promoting bilateral relations and welcomed the effective implementation of a number of cooperative projects between the city and Japanese partners. He also thanked the Hanoi city leadership for their guidance and support in advancing projects with Japanese partners, including the North Hanoi Smart City project.

During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on issues of shared interest. Ambassador Ito Naoki raised several topics related to Hanoi's transportation and environmental policies.

Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Dai Thang (right) speaks with Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki. Photo: Le Hai

Praising Hanoi's long-term development vision, especially the capital's master plan with a 100-year outlook, Ambassador Ito Naoki noted that Japan has extensive experience and advanced technology in underground urban development. This includes underground urban rail systems, underground commercial spaces, and technical infrastructure such as drainage systems. 

In this context, the ambassador expressed hope that Hanoi authorities would facilitate exchanges between Japanese businesses and experts and relevant city agencies to share expertise and experience.

On this occasion, Ambassador Ito Naoki also mentioned several specific cooperative projects, including a technical cooperation project on digital transformation in the management and operation of public transportation in Hanoi, the Vietnam - Japan University project in Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, and the Metro Line No. 2 project. He also raised several issues and concerns, hoping the Hanoi city government would provide guidance to address them.

Overview of the working session. Photo: Le Hai

Responding to the issues raised by the ambassador, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Dai Thang provided detailed explanations. He emphasized that Hanoi highly values cooperation with Japanese partners and hopes to expand collaboration further, particularly in urban infrastructure, transportation, and high technology.

Thang also shared the city's efforts to resolve difficulties and obstacles in order to accelerate project implementation. He stressed that with the spirit of "commit, act quickly, act correctly, and act effectively," Hanoi has recently made strong efforts to resolve a number of long-standing projects, including major infrastructure works. The city is also gradually addressing bottlenecks to create more favorable conditions for investment projects.

Regarding the North Hanoi Smart City project, Thang affirmed that this is one of the capital's key development areas. The city has assigned relevant departments to review development criteria to ensure that the urban area becomes not only one of Hanoi's modern, smart, and sustainable urban zones, but also a symbol of cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.

The chairman also agreed to coordinate efforts to address outstanding issues related to the Vietnam - Japan University project and affirmed that Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park will continue to serve as an important growth pole for Hanoi in the coming years.

Regarding Metro Line No. 2, the head of the Hanoi People's Committee emphasized the need to apply unified technical standards for infrastructure. He expressed hope that the ambassador and Japanese partners would continue working with the city's professional agencies to effectively integrate technical standards, ensuring greater synchronization of urban rail infrastructure and optimizing the use of investment capital.