Speaking at the opening, the Hungarian Ambassador to Vietnam , Laszlo Vizi, thanked the Government of Vietnam and the municipal authorities for their help to re-open the consulate general.

He spoke highly of the role played by the community of more than 4,000 Vietnamese who had previously studied in Hungary , and stated his belief that they would provide positive contributions to the development of both countries, particularly the promotion of cooperation in education.

The ambassador said that he was pleased with the growth in two-way trade, that increased by 58 percent to 85 million USD during 2007 and is estimated to hit 100 million for 2008.

The re-opening of the diplomatic office is expected to help Hungarian firms strengthen their links with local partners in areas such as information and telecommunication technology and electronics and machinery manufacturing, as well as promoting sales of pharmaceutical products.

A number of Hungarian companies have expressed an interest in infrastructure development projects in the city, particularly in the transport, waste water treatment, environmental protection and water supply sectors.

Hungary re-opens consulate general in HCM City