Can Tho seeks deeper international cooperation for sustainable growth

The city’s leaders met ambassadors from the four countries on October 22 to discuss socio-economic development, women’s and girls’ rights, and foreign-funded projects. The talks focused on opportunities to translate international partnerships into practical initiatives supporting sustainable and inclusive development.

Nguyen Tuan Anh, deputy secretary of the Can Tho Party Committee, expressed appreciation for the partners’ contributions to urban development, healthcare, education, climate adaptation, sustainable tourism and capacity-building for local officials. He highlighted Switzerland’s US$10 million contribution to a project to strengthen the city’s urban resilience.

Following its administrative merger last year, Can Tho aims to consolidate its role as a regional hub for economic development, education, healthcare and transport infrastructure in the Mekong Delta. To support this ambition, the city identified five priority areas for international cooperation, namely climate change adaptation and sustainable development; the green economy and innovation; trade and investment; healthcare, education, training and social welfare; and sustainable tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

The Can Tho official also highlighted opportunities to connect businesses, broaden markets for the Mekong Delta’s key products, exchange experts, develop human resources and expand scientific research partnerships. These efforts, he indicated, could help local enterprises find international partners and strengthen their participation in value chains.

Swiss Ambassador Thomas Gass highlighted opportunities for joint scientific research, university partnerships and climate-resilient agriculture. He also encouraged community-based tourism involving women and greater access to international markets for agricultural products produced by women-led businesses.

A third round of research cooperation calls involving relevant Swiss research organisations is expected in 2027, offering a potential avenue for further academic partnerships.

Norwegian Ambassador Stein Iversen, meanwhile, outlined the evolution of Norway’s cooperation with Vietnam over roughly three decades, from poverty reduction towards broader socio-economic development, women’s rights and support for vulnerable groups, including children with disabilities.

He said the proposal to expand cooperation with Can Tho is aligned with the broader direction of bilateral ties and that the possibility of further engagement would be examined. Iversen also indicated that Can Tho could be considered for inclusion in the portfolio of a development fund supporting climate-related projects in Vietnam.

Gender equality, he added, is important to Vietnam’s development goals and its ambition to become a high-income country by 2045. Women’s participation and empowerment should therefore be reflected in policy-making and the implementation of cooperation programmes.

Responding to the views shared and discussions on future cooperation at the meeting, the deputy secretary of the Can Tho Party Committee shared that Can Tho has around seven to eight universities and colleges, providing a strong foundation for the city to become a regional and national hub for education and scientific research from 2026 to 2030 and beyond.

He asked relevant departments to consolidate the meeting’s proposals, report to city leaders and develop concrete cooperation initiatives with Norway, Switzerland, Canada and New Zealand.

Priority areas include gender equality, the protection of women’s rights, women’s economic empowerment, digital skills and the development of safe, equitable and inclusive communities.

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