Lao Deputy PM Sonexay Siphadone continues Mekong delta tour

Tien Giang (VNA) - Lao Deputy Prime Minister Sonexay Siphadone continued his Mekong delta tour with a working visit to the province of Tien Giang on October 26.

At the meeting, Nguyen Van Danh, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, briefed the guests on local economic potential, culture and history as well as cooperation opportunities in key fields.

Tien Giang has developed fruitful cooperation with Lao localities, particularly Khammouane province. The two localities have signed agreements on cooperation in aquaculture, aquatic products processing, agricultural development, sports-culture and art, and education-training.

The province exported goods worth 278,000 USD to Laos in 2016, up 33.61 percent year on year. The figure exceeded 160,000 USD in the first nine months this year.

It has strong potential for agricultural production. It produces over 1.3 million tonnes of rice per year, and millions of tonnes of fruits of all kinds, over 700,000 tonnes of vegetables.

The locality has also created opportunities for investment in industrial parks and clusters.

The Lao Deputy PM said his visit aims to consolidate the traditional friendship between the two nations, including Tien Giang.

He lauded the province’s socio-economic and cultural progress, and acknowledged its efforts to boost cooperation with Khammouane, thus further tightening the relationship between the two nations.

He also showed his interest in the cooperation potential between Tien Giang and Lao localities, particularly in agriculture, ecotourism development, hoping that the locality will tap the potential in the future.

On the occasion, Sonexay Siphadone visited the Southern Fruit Research Institute and the Research Centre of Medicinal Plants in the Military Zone 9 in the province.-VNA