Can Tho (VNA) - Authorities of Can Tho city hosted a working session with Chargé d'Affaires of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Vietnam Eisa Alhammadi on May 29 to explore potential areas of cooperation between the two sides.
During the meeting, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Truong Canh Tuyen briefed an overview of the city’s development prospects and strategic advantages, particularly in light of the planned merger with the neighbouring provinces of Soc Trang and Hau Giang.
He noted that Can Tho, currently one of Vietnam’s centrally-run cities, is located in the centre of the Mekong Delta region, with an existing economic scale of over 5 billion USD. The figure is expected to exceed 13 billion USD after the administrative merger.
Agricultural production remains the region’s key strength, with abundant outputs of rice, aquatic products and fruits, which are well-suited for Halal processing, Tuyen said, stressing the role of inland waterways for economic development of the city as well as the delata region, given the area's extensive river network.
The city hopes to strengthen ties with UAE enterprises, particularly in areas such as Halal-compliant agricultural processing. Local leaders also expressed their hope that UAE companies would explore opportunities to import high-quality Vietnamese rice varieties, including the globally acclaimed ST25 rice.
For his part, Alhammadi reiterated Vietnam’s importance as the UAE’s leading partner in ASEAN. He noted that bilateral ties had seen significant progress, especially following Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to the UAE in October 2024, which resulted in the elevation of bilateral relations to a comprehensive partnership and the signing of a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA).
Economic ties between the two countries are steadily growing, with bilateral trade reaching over 12 billion USD by the end of 2024, excluding oil and gas. The UAE sees substantial potential for expanding trade and investment with Vietnam in the coming years and welcomes Vietnamese businesses to explore the UAE market.
Highlighting Can Tho’s role as a key economic driver of the Mekong Delta region, Alhammadi affirmed that the UAE Embassy is ready to facilitate connections between UAE companies and Can Tho, particularly for projects that are investment-ready.
He said the UAE wishes to cooperated in cultivating Basmati rice in Vietnam, aiming to diversify the UAE’s rice supply sources beyond India and Pakistan and better serve demand across the Middle East.
Regarding Halal industry development, the UAE side affirmed its willingness to provide support to Can Tho when needed./.
