Mission to Can Tho of EU and Member States Ambassadors

On 22 March 2022, H.E. Giorgio Aliberti, Ambassador of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Vietnam led a team of 13 Ambassadors of EU Member States to visit Can Tho City. H.E. Tran Viet Truong, Chairman of the City People's Committee hosted the meeting with the delegation.

Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee Tran Viet Truong informed the ambassadors about the potential, strengths and development orientation of Can Tho city when the city was issued Resolution No. 59 by the Politburo on the city development ​​to 2030, with a vision to 2045, Resolution No. 45 of the National Assembly on pilot implementation of a number of specific mechanisms and policies to Can Tho city. The Chairman also wished that the Ambassador of the European Union to Vietnam and the ambassadors of member states would support Can Tho in a number of activities such as connecting Can Tho city to implement signed MOUs with EU localities, promote the potential, investment opportunities, and image of Can Tho city to associations and investors in EU countries, provide information about importers, commodity standards, tariff preferences, market demand, customs, business culture, events, fairs and exhibitions to Can Tho city businesses.

On the other hand, Can Tho city also wants to strengthen cooperation in technology transfer, ownership and development from the EU to Vietnam, especially in priority areas of the city such as information and communication, hi-tech industry, agriculture, construction, transportation, healthcare, natural resources and environment, etc.

On his part, Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti said that the Mekong Delta is the most vulnerable region to the impacts of climate change in the world and this threatened the livelihoods of millions of people. In addition, the Mekong Delta is also facing many other problems such as land subsidence due to overexploitation of groundwater for production and domestic use in urban areas, lack of sediment due to hydroelectricity construction in the upstream Mekong, sand mining causing erosion, drought, and deterioration of water quality. These are issues that are directly related to management issues as well as policy issues.

On the other hand, the EVFTA is a trade agreement between Vietnam and the EU that brings opportunities and great investment potential from the EU to Vietnam, creating more jobs in the Vietnamese market, including Can Tho city. Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti also said that the total number of projects that in the EU investing in Vietnam in the multi-year plan for the 2021-2027 period, projects related to the Mekong Delta region is 70 programs and projects with funding capital of 548 million Euro. Out of a total of 70 programs and projects, there are 11 programs and projects directly related to Can Tho city with an estimated capital of about 26 million Euros; and the program with the largest loan source is 20 million Euros related to the treatment of sea level rise and adaptation to climate change implemented by the AFD (France).

Currently, the EU has also supported the preparation of an action plan against climate change for Can Tho city in 2021 through its support for the Global Covenant of Mayors on Climate and Energy. EU partners very much welcome the recent signing of Vietnam's master plan for development of the Mekong Delta region and believe that this signed plan will be on the right track and will be successfully implemented. 

Besides the meeting with Can Tho City People's Committee, the delegation also visited Can Tho University and an European company operating in Can Tho. In 2021, the export turnover of goods to European markets is 125.92 million USD, the main export items are rice, seafood, agricultural products, garments, pharmaceuticals, veterinary drugs, handicrafts, etc. The import turnover is 14.45 million USD, with main items of pharmaceutical materials, agricultural drugs, veterinary drugs.

Over the past time, Can Tho city also has many programs of investment cooperation and friendship exchange with countries such as France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, and Norway.