Can Tho proposes strategic partnership with Sweden

Nam said with the most developed health care system in North Europe, Sweden is the most promising partner to help Can Tho address challenges regarding infrastructure, equipment, human resources, overcrowding in hospitals and health care quality in rural areas. 

He expressed his hope that Sweden would partner with Can Tho to build an international hospital system, particularly a children’s hospital equipped with smart technology to serve local residents and those in the southwest and several Cambodian border localities. 

In transport, Can Tho wants to acquire Sweden’s experience in infrastructure planning and operating public transport, traffic accident prevention, clean and eco-friendly energy, advanced technology application and urban transport, he said. 

As Can Tho boasts a maritime transport network passing through six countries, it hopes to receive Sweden’s cooperation in upgrading seaports and logistics services, turning the city into a logistics “capital” in the region, he stated. 

In cultural exchange, the host expressed wish to partner with Sweden to organise annual cultural exchanges, contributing to popularising Vietnam, its country and people, especially the Mekong Delta, to the world, as well as Sweden’s European culture to the western Vietnam. 

As part of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam-Sweden diplomatic ties in 2019, Can Tho wants to closely work with Sweden to organise a cultural-art exchange on the regional scale, he said. 

Hogberg, for his part, said Sweden wishes to lift bilateral ties to a greater height by further extending trade and investment, as well as developing projects in Vietnam’s key cities and provinces, especially those in the south. 

He lauded Can Tho as an economic hub in the Mekong Delta and the most potential locality in the region, in which a number of big Sweden business groups want to invest. 

According to him, the city has the biggest advantage in qualified skilled workforce and convenient transport infrastructure in road, waterway and airway, serving as an important area in regional and international transport. Can Tho has also made it attractive by policies in education, health care, tourism, bio-technology, information technology and logistics services. 

The guest agreed with his host’s proposals and pledged to work with units concerned to sign a detailed cooperation agreement as soon as possible.

Two-way trade rose to US$1.205 billion in 2016 from US$1.178 billion in 2015, of which Vietnam posted a trade surplus of nearly US$624 million. A number of Sweden’s major economic groups made early presence in Vietnam such as Ericsson, ABB and Electrolux.