Co-operation with French enterprises would contribute to the development of economic activities along the Sài Gòn River and HCM City's economy in general, city Party Chief Nguyễn Văn Nên told a meeting in France on Tuesday with the Movement of the Enterprises of France, acronym MEDEF.

HCM City has been enhancing its socio-economy post-pandemic, particularly focusing on restructuring, improving infrastructure, and becoming a multi-centre mega-urban city with a priority on making the Sài Gòn River a driving force, he said.

To harness the river's economic potential, the city would first focus on repairing barriers along its banks and invest in a multi-functional infrastructure system that serves both tourism and economic activities, he said.

His visit was meant to partly find out France's experiences in river planning, solicit investments from its enterprises and find consultants to develop services along the Sài Gòn.

Nên noted with gratification the solidarity between the two countries in politics, economics, trade, culture, and education.

“France is among Việt Nam's top European trade partners, and bilateral trade between the two has rebounded post-pandemic, reaching $5.3 billion last year."

Being an economic, cultural, and educational hub, HCM City is a promising market for French business, he said.

But the city still faces challenges in building infrastructure, digitising, improving human resources, and fighting environmental problems, he said.

At the event, he said support from French enterprises would be a great contribution to the development of HCM City.