This information was conveyed during a meeting on 30/1 between Vo Van Minh, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, and Tahir Budagov, Deputy Chairman and Chief of Staff of the New Azerbaijan Party, who is also the Chairman of the State Statistical Committee of Azerbaijan.

Recognizing Azerbaijan's important role in the Euro-Asian corridor and the South Caucasus region, Minh expressed a desire to establish an economic bridge with the country.

This partnership aims to foster greater cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and Baku, which established friendly relations with the former Vung Tau province in 1980. Key areas include training human resources in oil and gas and petrochemicals, as well as expanding logistics connectivity. This initiative will enhance operational efficiency and support Ho Chi Minh City's transition to green energy.

Historically, Azerbaijani oil and gas engineers played a significant role in developing Vietnam's energy sector. During the former Soviet Union era, over 50,000 Vietnamese students studied in Azerbaijan.

Tahir Budagov expressed his hope for increased connections between Azerbaijani localities, particularly Baku and Ho Chi Minh City. He noted that Ho Chi Minh City serves as a key driver of Vietnam's growth, with robust development in green economy and new technologies.

Tahir Budagov, Chairman of the State Statistical Committee of Azerbaijan, during a working session with the Ho Chi Minh City Statistics Office on 29/1. *Photo by Ho Chi Minh City Statistics Office*

Earlier, on 29/1, Tahir Budagov visited the Ho Chi Minh City Statistics Office for discussions and experience sharing, aiming to promote bilateral cooperation in statistics.

Based on statistical data, he predicted that Ho Chi Minh City would continue to enhance its competitiveness and achieve its growth targets in the coming period. This year, the city aims for its gross regional domestic product (GRDP) to increase by over 10%, with a per capita GRDP of 9,800 USD. For 2025, the locality forecasts growth of 8,03% and 7,53% (including oil and gas), with a per capita GRDP of 8,755 USD.

On 26/1, the General Statistics Office (under the Ministry of Finance) and the State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan signed a cooperation plan for the 2026-2028 period. This plan focuses on expert exchange, human resource training, and sharing experiences related to statistical standards, quality management, and administrative data utilization.

Vien Thong