Hoi An widening international cooperation

(QNO) - Since the beginning of this year, Hoi An city (Quang Nam province) has cooperated with its international partners in several exchanges on culture, heritage and marine conservation.

Tourists in Hoi An city

Affective projects

The project on solar power system used for the sound and lighting operations in cultutal and tourism activities in Hoi An ancient town in the cooperation between Hoi An and Germany’s Wernigerode city was put into operation in January, 2018. The total investment of the project was nearly EUR 171.000, 90% of which  is funded by German Government, and the rest is from Hoi An’s and Wernigerode’s reciprocal capitals. The project contributes to raising locals’ awareness of environmental protection and using renewable enery. The project also helped to strengthen the cooperation between Vietnam and Germany in general and two cities of Wernigerode and Hoi An in particular in climate change response and adaption.

In recent years, Hoi An city has also cooperated with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to implement cooperative programs and projects such as: building an eco-city- raising businesses’ ability and responsibility for environmental protection, improving the water quality in Chua Cau (Japanese Bridge), bettering the local income through heritage tourism in some localities.  

Comprehensive cooperation

The events of Japanese Cultural Days in Quang Nam and the 6th Hoi An – Japan Cultural Exchange organized in Hoi An city bettered the friendship cooperation between Quang Nam including Hoi An and Japan in particular and Viet Nam and Japan as a whole.

The model of a Red-seal ship was given to Hoi An city by Japan’s Nagasaki Prefecture.

In addition, there have been various projects implemented in Cham Islands World Biosphere Reserve and funded by international organizations such as Global Environment Fund, United States Agency for International Development Agency, International Union for Conservation of Nature. Also in 2018, the city collaborated with the HealthBridge Canada in Vietnam to establish comprehensive bicycle plan and free/low-cost bicycle sharing program in Hoi An city  which was given the Germany’s Global Urban Transport award. This project aims to build an eco-city to preserve the city's historic values as well as better quality of the local life.

Since the beginning of the year, Hoi An city’s People's Committee has signed three international agreements with foreign partners. They are the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on vocational training cooperation in the fields of restaurants and nursing with the twinned city of Wernigerode (Germany), the agreement of the 6th Vietnam International Choir Competition 2019, a joint plan for swimming teaching in 2018. In addition, 3 international seminars and conferences have been organized in the city including the International Training Program (ITP) Community-based disaster risk management, and sharing the experiences among Ireland's aid recipients.