Gangwon State recently announced its participation in the 3rd Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue 2026, held from September 10 to 12 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Through this high-profile international event, the province shared its visionary framework for practical international exchanges driven by local diplomacy and held productive bilateral talks to significantly deepen cooperative ties with Ho Chi Minh City. 

The event, hosted under the theme "City Diplomacy: A Driving Force for Innovation and Sustainable Development," brought together approximately 500 domestic and international participants, including representatives from 35 local governments, organizations, and overseas partner regions.

They gathered to discuss future directions for inter-municipal international cooperation and urban diplomacy. This year’s Friendship Dialogue held special significance as it marked the first major international event hosted by Ho Chi Minh City following its structural integration with Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, transforming into Vietnam's largest mega-local government.

This newly established administrative powerhouse integrates Ho Chi Minh City’s financial and service sectors, Binh Duong’s industrial and manufacturing base, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s port and logistics capabilities, creating a massive economic zone with a population of 14 million and an area of 6,772 square kilometers. In comparison, Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, maintains an approximate population of 8.8 million and an area of 3,359 square kilometers. 

During the keynotes, Kim Young-gyun, Director General for International Affairs of Gangwon State, delivered a comprehensive presentation highlighting how the province is leveraging its unique institutional status as a Special Self-Governing Province.

He introduced Gangwon's core strategic industries—such as smart bio-medical devices, advanced semiconductors and ceramics, and clean resources and tourism—which are being vigorously nurtured as new growth engines. Furthermore, he emphasized the critical role of city diplomacy in responding flexibly and swiftly to rapidly changing global dynamics, proposing that diplomatic engagements between local governments must transcend simple goodwill exchanges to yield concrete, tangible outcomes.

To achieve this, Director General Kim proposed specific collaborative measures, including joint research initiatives between regional universities and research institutes, the establishment of robust partnerships among small and medium-sized competitive enterprises, strategic economic delegation exchanges tailored to key industries, and active participation in joint forums and networking events tied to major exhibitions and trade fairs.

In a subsequent bilateral meeting with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of External Relations, both sides reaffirmed their mutual commitment to revitalizing bilateral exchanges. They discussed a wide array of cooperative initiatives, including the resumption of public official exchanges, sports and cultural programs, support for attracting international students from Vietnam to Gangwon, and tourism cooperation centered around the introduction of the Yangyang International Airport visa-free entry policy.

They also reviewed preparations for upcoming milestone celebrations, such as the 10th anniversary of bilateral relations in 2027. Both parties agreed to maintain close working-level consultations to implement these projects effectively, working in close coordination with Gangwon State's overseas office stationed in Ho Chi Minh City.

In an interview with the prominent local media outlet The World & Viet Nam Report, an official media channel affiliated with the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director General Kim noted that as both regions approach the 10th anniversary of their exchange partnership in 2027, it is vital to broaden the scope of cooperation. He emphasized that this milestone coincides with the historic transition of both Gangwon State and the newly integrated Ho Chi Minh City embarking on a new era of regional development.

Concluding the visit, Director General Kim stated, "Through this visit, we have once again confirmed the shared strong will of both regions to invigorate exchanges and exchanged detailed insights on specific fields of cooperation. We will build upon these discussions through proactive follow-up consultations to further strengthen our strategic partnership with Ho Chi Minh City, the economic heart of Vietnam."

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