Meeting with Consuls General of Australia, Japan, and the United States of America.

City leaders and Consuld General of Australia, Japan, and the US after the meeting

On 24 October 2023, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Secretary of the City Party Committee, together with Mr. Tran Viet Truong, Chairman of the City People's Committee and leaders of related departments and agencies, hosted a meeting with Consuls General of Australia, Japan, and the United States of America in Ho Chi Minh City during their trip to Can Tho. The three Consuls General were accompanied by their Defense Attachés and other team members.

Secretary Hieu expressed his delight to welcome the three Consuls General to visit Can Tho, stating that this was the first time in his tenure as City Party Secretary, he had hosted three Consuls General at the same time, which showed the interest of the three nations in their collaboration with Can Tho.

The city leader briefly reiterated the collaboration between Can Tho and Australia, Japan, and the United States of America. With Australia, this year marks the 50^th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Australia,  and the Australian government had decided to have a 94.5 million Australia dollar support package for the Mekong Delta through the Vietnam–Australia Climate Change Adaptation Program. In addition, in this November, the Australian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City would work with Can Tho to organize the tree planting for the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the announcement ceremony of the 2.5 million dollar package of Australian government for the enterprises in the Mekong Delta with the theme of "Enterprise partnership platform: adapting to climate change". The city leader committed to work closely with the Australian Embassy and Consulate General to implement the programs smoothly and achieve their goals.

With Japan, Can Tho was proud to be one of the cities/provinces contributing actively to the good relationship between Vietnam and Japan, especially in the context of 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year. The City Secretary also informed the Japanese Consul General that currently the districts of Can Tho were completing their applications to send to Japanese Consulate General for the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) for projects of building schools, roads and bridges, as well as medical equipment for remoted areas of Can Tho.

With the United States of America, in 2023, Can Tho had welcomed high ranking delegations from the US, including the Congress, Senate, and the USAID Administrator delegations. Secretary Hieu also hailed the elevation of relationship between Vietnam and the US to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; he believed that from this milestone, the Vietnam -US relations in general, and Can Tho-US partners relations in particular, would be strengthened and grown more fruitful.

US. Consul General Susan Burns informed the city leaders that the United States prioritized cooperation with the Mekong Delta region, including Can Tho, in the fields of climate change, public health, and higher education. In addition, the United States would also continue to have key activities in humanitarian work, addressing war legacies, and efforts on mine actions.

Discussing the issue of promoting cooperation in the Mekong Delta, Japanese Consul General Ono Masuo shared that Japan had had close relations with Can Tho for a long time, especially Can Tho University. Key areas of cooperation with the City from Japanese partners included agriculture, aquaculture, and climate change. The Japanese diplomat committed to coordinate aids with the Australian and American counterparts for the Mekong Delta area, including Can Tho City for a developed and prosperous region.

Australian Consul General Sarah Hooper informed the delegates on the contribution of Australia to the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific, including Vietnam, towards the open, stable and prosperous region. Since 2000, the Australian government had invested 650 million Australian dollars in the Mekong Delta to improve infrastructure, promote investment, human capacity building, and public services. Among them, two highlighted projects were My Thuan and Cao Lanh bridges. In the field of agriculture, through the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research, the Australian government had coordinated with Vietnam to develop new rice varieties that are resistant to climate change. In addition, the two sides also implemented projects that ensure benefits and safety for coastal areas and mangrove forests. Besides, the Aus4Innovation program also coordinated with Can Tho University to commercialize research projects, aiming for the value of projects that not only lay in the laboratory but also maximized the value of research projects.

The Secretary of the Can Tho City Party Committee hoped that with the cooperation programs from Australia, Japan, and the US. for Vietnam, there would be many programs and projects implemented in the Mekong Delta, including Can Tho. The City would be willing to coordinate with these countries to implement cooperative activities effectively. The city leader also highlighted major priorities of Can Tho in the upcoming time, including transport infrastructure, sustainable energy, industry, hi-tech agriculture, education, health, and climate change.