On the occasion it received the second class Independent Order from the State President and announced that the Prime Minister has decided to recognise Can Tho as a first-tier city in the Mekong Delta.

Among those attending the ceremony were Truong Tan Sang, a standing Politburo member of the Party Central Committee and Truong Vinh Trong, also a Politburo member and Deputy Prime Minister.

In recent years, Can Tho has put into use many key infrastructure projects such as Can Tho International Airport, Cai Cui Port and the Omon Thermal Power Plant.

Its annual economic growth rate is nearly 16 percent with per capita income reaching more than US$1.400 and a number of poor household dropping to 7 percent.