Strengthening cooperation between Can Tho City and British partners.

Standing Vice Chairman Duong Tan Hien (R) and Deputy Consul General Sam Wood (L) 

On December 11, 2023, Mr. Duong Tan Hien, Standing Vice Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee, chaired a meeting with the British Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City led by Mr. Sam Wood - Deputy Consul General.

During the meeting, the two sides expressed their interests in promoting bilateral cooperation in the fields of education, health and transportation infrastructure.

Mr. Sam Wood hailed the Vietnam-UK strengthened relationship at both State and local levels. An important milestone of the cooperation is that the two countries have just successfully organized activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations.

On that solid foundation, Mr. Sam Wood hoped that at the local level, UK localities and businesses could promote cooperation and connection with Can Tho, with priority given to the fields of education, health, climate change, transport infrastructure, and innovation.

Mr. Sam Wood committed that in his working position, he would do his best to connect UK investors to Can Tho to seek investment cooperation opportunities.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Duong Tan Hien emphasized that education, healthcare and transport infrastructure are all areas where Can Tho is prioritizing calling for investment. Therefore, the City welcomed UK businesses to explore the investment environment and promote cooperation, and the city leaders would always create favorable conditions to support businesses from the UK investing in Can Tho.

Regarding education, Can Tho identifies this as one of the pillars to help the city develop quickly and sustainably. In addition to its internal potentials, Can Tho has been connecting well with international organizations to improve the quality of the education sector.

Deputy Consul General Sam Wood also informed the city leader about the British government's Chevening scholarship program, which has just celebrated its 30th anniversary in Vietnam, and he hoped that in the near future, Can Tho City would have more candidates participating in this prestigious scholarship from the UK.

In addition, last November, Can Tho just signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with AstraZeneca Vietnam in the medical field. City leaders expect to have many cooperation programs with AstraZeneca as well as other UK partners in the near future.

In the first ten months of 2023, the export turnover of goods from Can Tho City to the UK market is 19.51 million USD, the main export items include rice, seafood, garments, handicrafts, agricultural products and processed agricultural products.

Can Tho City also hopes to take advantage of the opportunities of the UK- Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) to strengthen trade relationships between the City and UK businesses, especially in the city's strong fields such as rice, fruit, and seafood.