Hanoi People's Committee Vice Chairman Nguyen Manh Quyen (center) receives an Austrian delegation led by Philipp Gady, Vice President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, on April 18. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Austrian companies want to cooperate with Hanoi in areas that they are strong in, especially the development of smart cities and urban transport, said Philipp Gady, vice president of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber who accompanied Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg during a visit to Vietnam from April 16-18.

At a meeting on April 18 with Vice Chairman of Hanoi's People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen, Gady said Austrian companies hope to early finalize an MoU on cooperation with Hanoi authorities to promote bilateral relations.

For his part, Vice Chairman Quyen said that in the capital's development master plan, which is scheduled to be submitted to the National Assembly for approval in October, smart city development is a top priority, along with the adoption of technologies to manage traffic and the transition to green energy.

During this process, the capital will need the support of experienced and capable international partners. Therefore, he said Hanoi welcomes Austrian companies to the city for exploring cooperation possibilities.

Previous, the Austrian Embassy and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber coordinated with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) to organize the Austria - Vietnam Forum on Infrastructure and Technology Cooperation.

Leaders of the Ministry of Construction, Vietnam Fire & Rescue Association (VFRA), leading Vietnamese businesses, and leading Austrian businesses in security, green technology, and automobile manufacturing attended the panel session.

At the panel discussion session, the speakers highly appreciated the potential of cooperation between Vietnam and Austria, assessed that Austria is a country with high technology and developed infrastructure in which Vietnam is interested in.

Vice President Philipp expressed his wish that the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber can act as a bridge to encourage the two countries’ enterprises to step up investment and trade activities, especially in the sectors of Austria’s strengths such as infrastructure, renewable energy and technology.

At Austria - Vietnam Forum on Infrastructure and Technology Cooperation.

Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Alexander Schallenberg made an official visit to Vietnam from April 16-18 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

Schallenberg was received by the Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man during which he expressed his delight at the development of Vietnam-Austria ties during a reception in Hanoi on April 18.

Man said both sides have maintained the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially those at high level. Two-way trade hit USD 3.35 billion in 2021, up 5.5% annually. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, the figure hit USD 2.79 billion last year, down 16.7% year-on-year.

He suggested that with strengths in digital economy, green economy, circular economy, education and vocational training, Austria should step up collaboration with Vietnam in these fields.

Man hailed the effective collaboration between the two legislatures, manifested by the regular exchange of delegations at all levels and sharing of experience in law building and supervision.

The host proposed that the two sides increase the exchange of all-level delegations, especially those at high level, to create momentum for cooperation across the board. They should also continue offering mutual support in multilateral parliamentary cooperation mechanisms.

Vietnam always values the ties with Austria and the European Union, he said, wishing that the Austrian parliament would soon approve the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement and push for the European Commission’s early removal of yellow card warning against Vietnam’s aquatic products.

Schallenberg, for his part, informed the host about the outcomes of his meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his talks with Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and working sessions with several Vietnamese ministries and agencies.

Austria is always ready to cooperate with Vietnam in fields of its strength, he said, adding that the European country wants to reinforce ties with Vietnam, its top important partner in Southeast Asia.

Agreeing with the Vietnamese leader’s proposals, he affirmed that Austria shares the common concern with Vietnam in the geopolitical issue, especially stability in the region to fuel economic development. He expressed his belief that with a shared viewpoint and vision, Austria and Vietnam are friendly partners of each other.

In such a spirit, the minister stressed that bilateral policy exchange activities, both through parliamentary and other channels, will keep growing in the coming time.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (R) and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg. Source: Austrian Foreign Ministry

Before that, on April 17, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son held talks with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg, stressing that Vietnam values and looks to strengthen friendship and cooperation with Austria.

Host and guest discussed expanding joint cooperation in new areas like national defence-security, labour, and vocational training.

Special Concert Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Vietnam-Austria Diplomatic Ties In the framework of Vietnam-Austria's 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations celebration, the Austrian Embassy in Hanoi collaborated with the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) hold a ...

Austrian Media Pin High Hope on Austrian Foreign Minister’s Visit to Vietnam Austrian media published news about Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg's visit to Vietnam.

Austria Among Largest Trading Partners of Vietnam in EU Austria is a country with strengths in technology and infrastructure, which are areas where Vietnam is in great demand for development.