Consuls General in Ho Chi Minh City support the development of the Mekong Delta

On October 25th, the three Consuls General in Ho Chi Minh City, namely those of the United States, Japan, and Australia, visited Can Tho to continue fulfilling their shared commitments to the Mekong Delta of Vietnam in particular, and the Indo- Pacific region in general.

Các Tổng Lãnh sự tại TP. Hồ Chí Minh ủng hộ sự phát triển của Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long

Accordingly, Consuls General Susan Burns (USA), Sarah Hooper (Australia), and Ono Masuo (Japan) visited Can Tho City for two days from October 24-25. During the visit, the Consuls General met with leaders of Can Tho City, the Board of Directors of Can Tho University, local ecologists, and the business community.

The Consuls General highlighted bilateral and multilateral priorities during their meeting on October 24th with Can Tho City Party Secretary Nguyen Van Hieu and Can Tho City People's Committee Chairman Tran Viet Truong.

The parties also discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the three diplomatic missions and Can Tho to meet the city's needs in various fields such as business and trade, energy, climate change, health, technology, and education.

The three Consuls General held a working session with Can Tho University. (Source: HU)

"Today, we are celebrating not only our respective bilateral partnerships with Vietnam, but also the shared impact of working together," said U.S. Consul General Susan Burns.

“Our three countries are deeply invested in Vietnam’s success. Vietnam’s success is also our success, and we recognize Vietnam’s important role in ensuring security and stability in the region.”

"We will continue to address Vietnam's needs and priorities, such as clean energy, climate resilience, agriculture, the digital economy, trade facilitation, healthcare, and higher education," Consul General Burns affirmed.

“Australia, Japan and the United States share a commitment to an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region where we can all cooperate, do business and thrive,” affirmed Australian Consul General Sarah Hooper.

“We are making positive contributions to the Indo-Pacific region by delivering tangible results that meet Vietnam’s and the region’s priorities, including advancing the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.”

"Japan has been providing ODA assistance to Can Tho University since 1969 to promote agricultural and fisheries production, as well as to address climate change in the Mekong Delta provinces and Can Tho City," shared Japanese Consul General Ono Masuo.

"Today's visit demonstrates the tremendous potential of collaboration among multiple stakeholders to bring new prosperity to the region while protecting the environment in innovative ways."

Consuls General traveled by boat on the Mekong River with leading ecologists to see firsthand the impacts of climate change. (Source: HU)

The Consuls General visited Can Tho University on October 25th to learn about each country's cooperation programs with Vietnam in the Mekong Delta region, aimed at adapting to climate change, reducing pollution, cleaning up the environment, and education.

The Consuls General also took boat trips on the Mekong River with leading ecologists to see firsthand the impacts of climate change on local communities.

In addition, the Consuls General also considered proposals on how the three countries could support Vietnam and other downstream Mekong countries in promoting stability, peace, prosperity, and sustainable development.

The Consuls General also visited the "The Interceptor 003" river cleaning system, a collaboration between Coca-Cola Vietnam and The Ocean Cleanup organization, which has the capacity to collect 55 tons of waste from the Can Tho River every day.

The Consuls General also visited the Mekong Delta Rice Institute and research facilities working on building a sustainable rice value chain for smallholder farmers, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, in collaboration with SunRice Group.

Source