SOM-3 is an important political-diplomatic event for Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam this year. The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has established a Steering Committee to be in charge of reception, logistics, security, and healthcare for the event.

Tran Thi Hieu Hanh, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City External Affairs Department, said: “We have organized exhibitions, distributed brochures, and made video clips to introduce Ho Chi Minh City’s tourist attractions and advantages.”

More than 2,400 delegates from 21 APEC economies will come to Ho Chi Minh City and stay at 5 hotels where 75 conferences and seminars will be organized. The police force has made careful plans for transporting delegates to meeting places. Lieutenant-colonel Huynh Trung Phong, Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Road and Railway Traffic Police, said: “We have assigned forces to arrange the transport of SOM delegations and have encouraged local people to support us.”

Agencies and sectors in Ho Chi Minh City have organized monitoring teams to review preparations for SOM-3. Huynh Cach Mang, Deputy Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, said: “Preparations for SOM-3 are in place, including fire prevention. We’ll ensure security to make the APEC meetings a success.”