Can Tho, France agree to cooperate in various areas

Can Tho (VNA) – Leaders of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and French Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Emmanuelle Pavillon Grosser reached consensus on the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in tourism, health care and education during their meeting on March 15.

The French Consul General said that France hopes to implement more programmes and projects in Can Tho, including those on French language teaching in local schools, the supply of market information to help local firms expand partnership with their French peers, and the diversification of tourism promotion channels.

For his part, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Can Tho Nguyen Thuc Hien underlined that partnership between the city and the French side has yet to meet their potential. He said that Can Tho hopes for more collaboration activities in tourism, health care and education.

Hien asked for support from the French Consulate General in HCM City in realising the agreements that the city has signed with Nice and La Seyne-sur-Mer cities, thus contributing to beefing up the bilateral partnership.

Can Tho is interested in cooperating with French education facilities to launch tertiary and higher education programmes as well as short-term training courses for local officials and high-school teachers, he said, adding that Can Tho hopes to receive more scholarships from France.

Hien also asked the French Consul General to provide more information on importers, preferential tariff, market demands and trade events in France, thus making it easier for local firms to access the French market.

In 2018, Can Tho became a member of the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF). It is working to prepare for the signing of an agreement with the association on the implementation of a project to encourage the learning and teaching of French in local schools. The project will provide laptops to students in some local schools to serve the activities.

According to the city Department of External Relations, last year, Can Tho earned 10.82 million USD from exporting goods to France, mostly rice, aquatic products, garment products, and farm produce. Meanwhile, the city imported 3.94 million USD worth of goods from France, mostly medicine materials, agricultural chemicals, and veterinary medicine./.