This year's Plenary Meeting of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21) was held in Hanoi. Representatives from eight cities gathered together at the Hanoi Daewoo Hotel for the event which was held over a two-day period (November 18 and 19, 2013).

Policy Dialogue was conducted on two themes this year： urban planning and energy policy. From Hanoi, Tokyo, Bangkok, Jakarta and Singapore, there were presentations on the topic of "Urban Planning - Common Issues in the Implementation of Present Urban Planning," while Tokyo, Seoul and Hanoi made presentations on the topic of "Urban Energy Policy in Asia.", featuring the advanced policies undertaken by each of these cities. After the presentations, the representatives agreed to further strengthen the cooperation for the purpose of resolving future issues. Moreover, for the first time at a Plenary Meeting, representatives went on field trips relevant to the two policy themes in order to deepen their understanding.

In addition, two new initiatives were launched accepting Tokyo's proposals. The first initiative is the joint project "Platform for Technology and Industry," which serves as a platform for leading regular specialist meetings or research carried out by member cities to new technology development and business. The second one is a new framework "Pilot Program" that deals with issues shared by some of member cities in a flexible manner within a limited time frame, hoping to plant the seeds of new ANMC21 programs. We hope that in the future through the proactive leveraging of these new measures the activities of ANMC21 will be further invigorated.

ANMC21 Exhibition was held concurrent to the Plenary Meeting; in addition to displays introducing joint projects, there were PR booths that highlighted the attractions of each city, as well as a display of "Pictures Drawn by Children." Furthermore, the cultural stage performers who gathered together from member cities gave very impressive dances and music performance, which allowed audiences to experience something of each culture. The atmosphere was very lively in that many of them came down from the stage and performed amidst the audiences, and also in that audiences joined in the dances. We believe that the ANMC21 Exhibition was a great opportunity to convey the attraction of member cities to Hanoi people.

Since participants are usually working in different cities in Asia, both the Plenary Meeting and the ANMC21 Exhibition are a great opportunity to come face to face and talk with one another. This time as well, happy reunions were noted here and there as representatives met up with each other and engaged in deep discussions regarding the policies and challenges of their cities. With the passing of time, it is also one of the major outcomes of ANMC21 that government officials in the different cities have developed deepening mutual relationships.

Due to a lot of efforts of Hanoi people as the host, both the Plenary Meeting and the ANMC21 Exhibition on this occasion were successfully concluded. We would really like to appreciate all the staff members of Hanoi. The next Plenary Meeting will be held in Tomsk, Russia. All member cities are looking forward to the first Plenary Meeting in a new member city joined us in 2012. Through the cooperation of all members, we are working hard to make the Plenary Meeting of ANMC21 in Tomsk a great success.