Local diplomacy provides fresh impetus for innovation and sustainable growth

Attendees included representatives from central and local Vietnamese agencies and domestic and international business communities, heads of 35 international delegations and local partners of Ho Chi Minh City from over 20 countries, along with financial and economic experts, science and technology specialists.

Delivering the opening remarks, Nguyen Loc Ha, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, emphasized that amid increasingly complex and unpredictable global challenges, cities as convergence points for resources, intellect, science and technology achievements, and vibrant economic activity, play a vital role in forging new development momentum for each nation, region, and the world. Practice proves that in today's era of globalization, no single city or locality can resolve all developmental challenges independently; cooperation remains the key to a sustainable future for cities and nations.

Ha noted that as a pioneering locality in diplomacy and international integration over the years, Ho Chi Minh City has continuously sought effective methods to translate international relations into concrete development resources. The city deeply recognizes that combining internal strength and efforts to enhance economic autonomy and resilience with expanded foreign relations, deep international integration, and effective utilization of external resources, particularly capital, intellect, technology, governance expertise, and advanced standards, is an objective necessity and an inevitable choice to develop alongside the times.

Municipal leaders stated that the theme of the 2026 Friendship Dialogue, “Local Diplomacy: A Driver for Innovation and Sustainable Growth,”  shows both the city's development demands in the new phase and its determination to convert longstanding friendly, trusted, and cooperative ties into resources for shared growth.

The conference aims to share experience in optimizing the role of local governments within the framework of national foreign policy to ensure policy consistency while providing sufficient flexibility for localities to respond promptly to development demands and new cooperative opportunities; finding ways for sub-national multilateral networks to generate substantive value beyond meetings and information exchanges; and transforming friendly relations, agreements, and political commitments into concrete activities with measurable results.

Nguyen Hoang Long, Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, stressed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vietnam's overseas representative missions stand ready to place citizens, localities, and businesses at the center of service.

They accompany localities in expanding relations, deepening engagement, connecting partners, mobilizing resources, and resolving specific issues, ensuring that the nation's international standing and strength are effectively translated into concrete development resources, opportunities, and momentum for each locality.

The leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested that Vietnamese and international localities and businesses uphold a pioneering role and a strong spirit of innovation, renewing mindsets and cooperation methods, and shifting the cooperation model from cooperation to co-creation and from transfer to joint development.

Discussions at this dialogue will contribute numerous initiatives and specific cooperative links, further deepening and sustaining relations between Ho Chi Minh City, localities across Vietnam, global cities, and international partner organizations.

During the Mayors' Conference, delegates discussed and clarified the proactive role of local governments in implementing national foreign policy lines while boosting practical cooperation models suited to the needs and strengths of each locality.

Concluding the Mayors' Conference, delegates are scheduled to adopt the Declaration of the 3rd Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue 2026, acknowledging the crucial role of local diplomacy in the nation’s foreign policy.

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