HCMC – The HCMC People’s Committee and the Mekong Delta provinces jointly held a conference on July 21 to unveil an action plan to implement their agreement on socio-economic development cooperation in 2023 and the 2024-2025 period.
In particular, HCMC will join forces with the localities in the delta in 2023 to hold regional programs to connect businesses in the two regions, enhance supply of goods and promote investment.
The cooperation will be prioritized in five areas in 2024-2025, including transportation infrastructure, tourism, climate change adaptation, digital transformation, health care and education.
As for transportation infrastructure, the HCMC-Trung Luong-My Thuan expressway expansion, HCMC-Can Tho railway and research on a coastal road linking HCMC and the delta will be prioritized.
In tourism, the two sides will implement tourism promotion plans for HCMC and the 13 provinces in the delta from 2021 to 2025, set up tourism websites, improve the tourism branding, and upskill tourism personnel.
To adapt to climate change, sharing experiences, and scientific and technical solutions in disaster prevention and rescue service is essential. More projects will be launched to protect nature reserves, biodiversity and important wetlands.
A regional database will be developed for regional coordination activities, and workshops will be held to share knowledge of artificial intelligence applications.
In the education and health sector, a cooperation project will be carried out to provide knowledge in medical examination and treatment, intensive therapy, and remote consultation. Besides, connecting universities, institutions, as well as human resources training centers will benefit the area in terms of connecting, exchanging knowledge, expanding the labor market and creating more employment.
Speaking at the conference, Phan Van Mai, chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee, said that the cooperation between the city and the Mekong Delta serves as a bridge to connect businesses in the region, promote public-private partnerships for the development of both sides.
Tran Viet Truong, chairman of the Can Tho City People’s Committee, said that cooperation is an inevitable trend of socio-economic growth. Truong also hoped that people in the Mekong Delta would have access to advanced techniques and modern technologies of HCMC’s leading medical sector.
Currently, the HCMC Department of Planning and Investment is assigned as the standing agency to oversee the cooperation in the abovementioned areas.
HCMC and the 13 provinces in the Mekong Delta look forward to this cooperation to tap their potentials and contribute more to the socio-economic growth of each region.
