Within the framework of the 30th APEC Summit, on the morning of November 16 (local time), Mr. Le Tien Chau - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the City Party Committee, Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Hai Phong - participated in the official delegation activities of the President.

On the same day, November 16, the Hai Phong City delegation visited and surveyed Napa Valley, some agricultural farm models for growing grapes, producing wine, and worked with the city of Oakland (USA).

On the side of the city of Oakland, there were Mayor Sheng Thao; Port of Oakland General Manager Danny Wan and the Port Board.

At the meeting, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, the first Hmong (Vietnamese) person to be Mayor of a major city in the United States, welcomed the delegation to visit and work in the city; introduced the main features of the city and the Port of Oakland.

Oakland, founded in 1852, is the largest city in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area and the 8th most populous city in the state of California. Oakland serves as the commercial center and economic engine of the Bay Area.

Oakland's economy is now very diverse, in addition to food processing, light manufacturing, and high-tech, Oakland focuses on business services, health care, transportation, retail trade, and other services.

The post-secondary school system in the Oakland metro area is considered one of the best in the country, along with the college and university system that provides a highly trained workforce for the future, while also making Oakland a major center for creative talent and technological innovation.

The Port of Oakland, established in 1927, is a major container port in the state of California, in San Francisco Bay. It was the first major port on the Pacific coast of the United States to build a berth for container ships.

As of 2019, it is the 6th busiest container port in the United States, ranking 8th in container traffic. The Port of Oakland has the capacity to handle vessels up to 18,000 TEU, has three container terminals and two intermodal rail facilities serving a regional market of 14.5 million customers, connecting 34 million customers within a 7-hour drive; reaching 50% of the U.S. population by rail.

At the meeting, Secretary of the City Party Committee Le Tien Chau gave an overview of Hai Phong. He emphasized that Hai Phong is one of the three strategic cities of Vietnam, with an important position in terms of traffic connection and regional linkage of the Red River Delta and the Northern Coast, and is the driving force in the economic development of the North and the Kunming (China) - Lao Cai - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh economic corridor.

Hai Phong also has a tradition of industrial development of more than 100 years, along with a modern socio-economic infrastructure system and a population of 2.2 million people, of which 1 million are of working age. Hai Phong has become an investment destination for many large corporations in the world such as General Electric, Chevron, LG, Bridgestones, AEON, SK, Pegatron... Hai Phong will be an ideal location, suitable for US businesses and investors.

At the meeting, the two sides discussed areas of cooperation interest and potential, and the leaders of the two cities signed a Letter of Intent on cooperation between Hai Phong and Oakland.

The Oakland Mayor expressed her hope that the cooperation agreement between the two sides will bring benefits and efficiency to the two localities. At the same time, she informed that the City Mayor had previously met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to discuss cooperation and climate change.

Oakland Port signed cooperation agreements with Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, THACO Group and will soon work with VietJet Air to have direct flights to Oakland. After the meeting, the city delegation visited Oakland Port.

In the evening of the same day, the city delegation attended the Investment Promotion Conference in Vietnam. Also attending were Mr. Bui Thanh Son - Minister of Foreign Affairs; leaders of Hung Yen and Bac Giang provinces, and Chairman of VCCI.

Attending the conference were the APEC Heads of State Advisory Council; Mr. Marc E. Knapper, US Ambassador to Vietnam; Mr. Ted Osius, former US Ambassador to Vietnam for the 2014-2017 term, Chairman of the US and ASEAN Business Council; APEC businesses, entrepreneurs and representatives of many large US businesses such as: American Chip Association, Chip Manufacturing Company, High-tech Manufacturing Company, Chairman of the Business Council for US Security...

At the Conference, after Head of Hai Phong Economic Zone Management Board Le Trung Kien introduced Hai Phong's economic potential, Hai Phong City Party Secretary Le Tien Chau directly answered questions from investors interested in learning about investment opportunities in the city.

Investors expressed interest in Hai Phong City and localities participating in the conference, especially in green energy transition policies.

MINH KHANG