HCMC – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called for the swift signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Abu Dhabi in UAE to advance the development of the international financial center in HCMC.
The PM chaired a conference on July 22 with Vietnam’s overseas diplomatic chiefs to discuss strategies for boosting economic diplomacy, aiming to meet growth targets for late 2025 and pave the way for double-digit growth in the years ahead, reported the Government news site.
He urged diplomatic agencies to step up international engagement, facilitate comprehensive cooperation, and promote both traditional and new growth drivers, such as digital transformation and the green economy.
The Government leader also called for swift implementation of Resolution 222/2025/QH15 on international financial centers, including expediting the MOU signing between Abu Dhabi and the HCMC International Financial Center, studying Kazakhstan’s AIFC model, and advancing a financial center project in Danang in collaboration with the Terne Holdings-The One Destination (Singapore) consortium.
Earlier, during his official visit to the UAE, PM Chinh met with Arif Amiri, chief executive officer of the Dubai International Financial Center.
Arif Amiri said that the UAE is ready to share its experience and promote cooperation in the financial services sector. He expressed his hope to visit Vietnam soon, particularly HCMC, to concretize areas of cooperation as proposed by the prime minister.
At the conference, PM Chinh also instructed ministries and agencies to implement measures to diversify markets and enhance trade promotion; effectively leverage the 17 existing free trade agreements (FTAs); and push for new FTAs with potential markets such as the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Central Asia, India, and Brazil.
He called for the early conclusion of FTA negotiations with MERCOSUR and Brazil; urged the signing of a rice trade agreement with five countries; and pushed for the launch of FTA talks with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Bangladesh, and Pakistan, as well as the acceleration of a railway connectivity project linking China and Central Asia.
