Conference to foster Vietnam-France economic links

Can Tho (VNA) – The 10th cooperation conference between Vietnamese and French localities will take place in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on September 14-16.

Representatives from the municipal authorities and those from the Vietnamese Embassy in France met in the city on August 30 to discuss the preparations for the event.

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Vo Thanh Thong said the conference is hoped to open opportunities for the two countries’ localities to expand sustainable and effective economic and trade links on the basis of their intensive understanding of each other’s market and culture.

Can Tho has made careful preparations on logistics, personnel, security and food safety for the event, he stated.

So far, a total of 696 delegates from localities, organisations and enterprises of Vietnam and France have registered to attend the conference, which will include five workshops on cooperation in economy-tourism, education-health, the environment, climate change, agriculture-fishery, urban development and culture-heritage.

Other events will be a Vietnam-France international meeting and Vietnam-France cultural days along with eco-tours of the Vietnamese city.

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Ngoc Son committed to supporting Can Tho in connecting with the French side.

The embassy will serve as a bridge to connect the Vietnamese and French businesses by providing them with accurate market information, towards facilitating their investment in respective nations, he said.

According to Thong, France has invested 1.9 billion USD in Can Tho in the fields of pharmaceuticals, health, agriculture, non-waste industry and startups, with the two key projects being the Can Tho General Hospital and an embankment along Can Tho River with a total investment of 55.8 million EUR.

The conference between Vietnamese and French localities dates back to 1989, when Hanoi and the region of Ile-de-France set up a partnership. This form of cooperation has developed and contributed to the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

The conference, also known as the Vietnam-France decentralised cooperation conference, is held biennially or triennially on a rotational basis to review the cooperation effectiveness and set up collaboration directions for following years.

The 9th conference was held in the city of Brest in France in June 2013, with the participation of 16 Vietnamese cities and provinces.-VNA