Nghe An province delegation works with Erfurt city government, Federal Republic of Germany

The delegation was led by Comrade Thai Thanh Quy - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation.

The delegation included comrades: Le Duc Cuong - Member of the Standing Committee, Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Committee; Major General Bui Quang Thanh - Member of the Provincial Party Committee's Standing Committee, Director of the Provincial Police Department; Nguyen Nhu Khoi - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Bui Dinh Long - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Directors of the Departments: Planning and Investment, Finance, Transport, Agriculture and Rural Development, Foreign Affairs.

Receiving and working with the delegation, representatives of the Erfurt city government were Mr. Tobias J. Knoblich - Commissioner for Culture, Urban Development and World Heritage; Ms. Anastasia Sergan - Head of Economic Development Department. Regarding the Erfurt Chamber of Crafts (CRAFTS), there were Mr. Stefan Lobenstein - Chairman and leaders of CRAFTS.

At the meeting, on behalf of the government, Mr. Tobias J. Knoblich happily welcomed Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy and the delegation of Nghe An province to visit and work in Erfurt city, the capital of Thuringia state.

In the ancient setting of the ancient city founded in 742, representatives of the Erfurt city government introduced to the delegation the historical and cultural traditions, economic and social situation, and development orientations and strategies.

Mr. Tobias J. Knoblich said that in addition to developing industries and digital economy, Erfurt also focuses on developing sustainable tourism based on the foundation, cultural heritage, and history of the locality, associated with investment in connecting infrastructure.

However, like many other cities in Germany, Erfurt is facing a labor shortage as the labor structure is shifting from the industrial sector to the service sector, partly due to automation in industrial production and partly due to a shortage of labor.

Based on the information exchanged on natural, economic, cultural and social characteristics, Mr. Tobias J. Knoblich proposed to the Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy to establish a cooperative relationship with Vinh City (Nghe An Province) in the fields of vocational training, culture, tourism and economy. It is expected that in 2025, the city will send a working delegation to visit and work in Nghe An and thereby hope that the province will pay attention and cooperate.

Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy thanked Mr. Tobias J. Knoblich; and shared the similarities between Nghe An and Erfurt city in terms of history, culture and tradition. Nghe An has two famous people, President Ho Chi Minh and poetess Ho Xuan Huong, honored by UNESCO; Vi and Giam folk songs are intangible cultural heritages of humanity. This is a very good foundation for the two sides to cooperate and exchange on culture.

The head of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee expressed his impression of the facilities, teaching staff, and training program when visiting the vocational training school in Erfurt city earlier.

With the proposals of Erfurt city, the Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee welcomed and hoped to soon welcome the city delegation to visit and work in Nghe An.

With high consensus on the viewpoint of connecting and promoting cooperation, the head of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee said that he will direct relevant responsible departments to advise and report to competent authorities to soon promote cooperation between the two cities: Erfurt (Thüringen state) and Vinh (Nghe An province).