Wuhua district of Kunming, capital city of southwest China's Yunnan province, and Sapa, a city in Northern Vietnam's Lao Cai province, signed a letter of intent on establishing sister city status via a video meeting on August 8.
The signing ceremony also marked the opening of an international symposium on the legacy of late Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh, and the development of bilateral relations between China and Vietnam in the new era.
Noting that China and Vietnam are close neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, and that Sapa is a popular tourist destination with a pleasant climate, beautiful scenery and diverse ethnic culture in Vietnam, An An Phap, vice-mayor of Kunming, said that Wuhua has ranked among the top 100 Chinese districts for two consecutive years.
An said that Kunming will grasp this opportunity and work together with Vietnamese Da Nang, Haiphong and Lao Cai to strengthen their friendly exchanges, enhance mutually beneficial cooperation and bring more tangible benefits to the people of both countries.
Lao Cai province’s official expressed the hope that Kunming and Wuhua will continue to enrich exhibition materials in the former residence of Ho, who lived and worked there to undertake revolutionary activities in 1930s and 1940s.
Chen Jiang, secretary of the Wuhua District Committee of the CPC, said that the former residence of Ho in Kunming has become an artery for China and Vietnam to further improve their bilateral ties, and has received great attention from Yunnan and Kunming in its protection and maintenance. He added that Wuhua will make intensified efforts to upgrade the overall image of both the former residence and its adjacent buildings, underscore the collective safety of cultural relics, and ensure the arrangement of relevant exhibitions in their original state.
Li Liang, head of Wuhua, inked the letter of intent to develop a relationship of friendship cities with his Vietnamese counterpart at the ceremony.
Yang Mingjun, head of the Kunming Culture and Sports Bureau, presented a certificate of the Kunming International Friendship Cities Tourism Alliance to Sapa.
Nguyen Trung Hieu, consul-general of Vietnam in Kunming, extended his congratulations to the symposium for its success. All attendees spoke highly of the importance of the former residence of Ho in Kunming to enhance bilateral relations between Vietnam and China, as well as to promote people-to-people exchanges, and deepen the friendship and cooperation between Kunming and Lao Cai on the basis of traditional Vietnam-China friendship.
Nguyen said that the Vietnamese side has fully acknowledged the efforts made by Kunming to better preserve and maintain the former residence of Ho.
Officials and experts from the two sides also held exchanges over the maintenance and exhibition arrangement of the former residence of Ho in Kunming.
