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| Chairman of Hue City People’s Committee Nguyen Khac Toan presenting a commemorative gift to Mr. Karl Wilfing, President of the Lower Austrian Parliament. Photo provided by the City People’s Committee |
The working visit took place to concretize existing cooperation agreements already established between Hue City and its Austrian partners, while further expanding collaboration in education, culture, tourism, heritage conservation, sustainable urban development, and the exchange of expertise in the management of World Heritage sites.
In the framework of the working with Mr. Karl Wilfing, President of the Lower Austrian Parliament, Chairman Nguyen Khac Toan highlighted Hue’s potential, strengths, and development orientations following its elevation as Vietnam’s sixth centrally run municipality. Basing on the similarities in culture and orientations towards sustainable development, Hue’s leaders proposed that the Government of Lower Austria promote the signing of an official cooperation agreement. Such a framework would provide a foundation for cooperative programs on tourism, education and training, healthcare, information technology, green and smart urban development, heritage conservation, and high-tech agriculture.
The two sides also discussed the opportunities of organizing cultural and artistic exchange activities, as well as tourism promotion programs between Hue and the city of Krems during festival seasons to foster closer people-to-people ties and enhance mutual understanding between the two communities.
During a meeting with the Embassy of Vietnam in Austria, the delegation updated the results of its working sessions with Austrian partners and called the Embassy’s for continuing its assistance in strengthening support and broadening cooperation between Hue City and the Lower Austria, international organizations headquartered in Vienna, and Austrian educational institutions and businesses in the coming time.
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| The delegation offering incense at Ho Chi Minh Monument on the grounds of the Embassy of Vietnam in Austria. Photo provided by the City People’s Committee |
In the City of Krems, the delegation held a working session with local authorities hosted by Ms. Elisabeth Kreuzhuber, Vice Mayor of Krems. The two sides discussed cooperative orientations related to heritage conservation and promotion, sustainable tourism development, cultural exchanges, tourism workforce training, and the sharing of experiences in urban management linked to heritage preservation.
Chairman Nguyen Khac Toan noted that Hue and Krems are both cities with rich historical and cultural legacies and unique heritage systems. These strengths create favorable conditions for deeper cooperation, knowledge sharing, and joint efforts toward sustainable development.
One of the highlights during the visit was a working session with IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences, a prestigious educational institution in Austria and Europe. The discussions focused on practical steps to implement the Letter of Intent signed in April 2026 by Hue City’s Department of Foreign Affairs, the City of Krems, and IMC University.
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| The delegation visiting and working at IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences. Photo provided by the City People’s Committee |
Chairman Nguyen Khac Toan highly appreciated IMC Krems’ training and research expertise, and extensive global partnerships. Furthermore, he also proposed strengthening collaboration through student and lecturer exchange programs, capacity-building activities for working staff… They also reached a consensus on maintaining discussions to launch short-term training programs in Hue, aimed at enhancing the skills of local officials on tourism management and tourism development.