The Resource Cities partnership between Haiphong, Vietnam, and Seattle, Washington, was initially created to improve local government management. 

ICMA agreed to partner with the World Bank, the University of Washington, and the Greater Seattle community to foster greater cooperation between the two cities in four areas:

• Tourism and trade
• Information technology
• Public health
• Urban planning. 

A memorandum of understanding was signed in July 2001 to formalize the partnership.  Over time, the partnership goals and objectives shifted to reflect the increased importance of sustainable tourism.  The urban planning objective was revised to signal the increased interest in ensuring that Haiphong, and especially the Cat Ba Island, develop and preserve the existing natural resources.   

Partnership accomplishments included the following:

• Haiphong revised its website and increased its technical expertise in website development and management.  The website was designed to allow greater efficiency between departments, and it was anticipated that it might eventually be used to promote tourism. 
• The tourism and trade component ended with a final discussion of tourism promotion that was environmentally sustainable and would not harm the natural assets that attract tourism.  In addition, the delegation learned ways to allocate retail and business space in a manner that is regulated and fair.
• The public health component provided for long-term assistance in the areas of infectious disease, emergency response, and training for medical staff and was expected to continue beyond the life of the official partnership. Throughout the partnership, the University of Washington and participating health officials emphasized the importance of public health when promoting tourism. 

USAEP and ICMA enlisted the help of a University of Oregon professor to assist Haiphong in the areas of environmental impact assessments and natural resource management and conservation planning.  It was anticipated that his work would identify specific and needed tasks that would begin to make the goal of sustainable tourism a reality in Haiphong.