(VOVworld) - Cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and UK partners will help consolidate the friendship between Vietnam and the UK and lift bilateral relations to a new level, said Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan. He met Thursday with visiting Executive Chairman of the Vietnam-UK Network Ben Chapman who is also Honorary President of the All Party Group for Vietnam. Mr. Quan highlighted the achievements gained by the economic, commercial, cultural, and educational cooperation between Vietnam’s southern hub and the UK, including two-way trade reaching 750 million USD in 2014. The UK Government has helped HCM City train officials and management personnel in the finance, banking, and education sectors, Quan said, adding that he hopes the UK will create favourable conditions for Vietnamese nationals living and working in the UK. Chapman, a former Member of Parliament, said the Vietnamese community in the UK has actively contributed to local development. He expects development cooperation between the two nations will be enhanced in many fields.