The Comprehensive Socio-economic Cooperation Programme between Ho Chi Minh City and 13 Mekong Delta provinces and cities in the past 12 years (from 2001 to 2013) has brought positive results for participating localities, particularly in the economic aspect. The programme has also contributed significantly to stabilising food security, reducing poverty and improving living quality for residents.
Strong from internal forces of regional and inter-regional linking
Mekong Delta produces more than 50 percent of rice, supplies more than 90 percent of exported rice, produces 70 percent of fruit and 52 percent of seafood and provides nearly 60 percent of exported seafood of the country. It is also the key supplier of input materials and a major consumer of industrial goods of Ho Chi Minh City. For its part, as an economic locomotive of the country, Ho Chi Minh City plays a very important role in development connectivity of the Mekong Delta region. The formation of a comprehensive partnership between Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta provinces is indispensable as it gives a helping hand to Mekong Delta provinces and cities to effectively tap its investment resources for socioeconomic development.
After 12 years of cooperation, Ho Chi Minh City-based businesses have invested 1,001 projects with a total registered capital of VND263,937 billion in 23 industrial zones in the Mekong Delta, covering many sectors, namely agriculture, fisheries, industry, transport infrastructure, urbanisation, industrial zone, trade and tourism. Particularly, Kien Giang province has drawn 115 investment projects worth VND117,126 billion from Ho Chi Minh City and Tien Giang province has 44 projects and VND12,023 billion. Other provinces and cities in the region have also attracted a lot of investment and cooperation projects with the largest city of Vietnam.
Mr Nguyen Phong Quang, Deputy Director of the Standing Board of the Steering Committee on the Southwest Region, said Ho Chi Minh City and 13 Mekong Delta provinces and cities have high consensus, unity and mutual assistance. This linkage and cooperation has importantly contributed to economic development of Mekong Delta provinces and cities and helped improve production quality and quantity, and boosted employment in the region. The most remarkable achievement is the internal force of regional and inter-regional linkage and the improvement of the investment environment. Many agricultural and industrial development projects are appealing to domestic and foreign investors. Agricultural production and industrial manufacturing projects have generated high value-added product chains.
Especially, the cooperation has also created necessary social infrastructure surrounding investment projects like bridges, roads, schools, clinics and other services and contributed to economic development, poverty alleviation and livelihood improvement for Mekong Delta residents.
Intensifying comprehensive cooperation
At the Mekong Delta Economic Cooperation Forum - Vinh Long 2013 (MDEC Vinh Long 2013) opened in Vinh Long City of Vinh Long province on November 25, the provinces and cities in the region introduced a list of 138 projects calling for VND416 trillion and US$1.89 billion of investment in capital. This is a great opportunity to elevate the traditional cooperative between Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta region.
An official from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Investment said Ho Chi Minh City always attaches importance to accelerating socioeconomic cooperation development with all provinces and cities across the country in order to exploit potentials and strengths of each locality and exchange experiences in economic development orientation.
In the next period, Ho Chi Minh City will encourage its businesses to boost investment to Mekong Delta provinces and cities and implement many programmes and actions to deepen cooperation with localities in the region. Accordingly, the city will step up cooperation in agricultural engineering and food processing industries with the delta. Ho Chi Minh City will also continue to appeal its businesses to expand investment for wholesale market construction in Mekong Delta provinces and cities. In order to expand import and export, the city will review commercial activities in border gate areas and cross-border routes and encourage businesses to build bonded warehouses and infrastructure for border-gate economic zones.
The city will also stimulate its tourism businesses to invest in the Mekong Delta region, support local tourism firms to improve competitiveness, enhance accommodation service and develop human resources. It will also support provinces and cities in the region to integrate tourism with cottage industry development and uphold and preserve cultural values to bring benefits for both sides.
In addition, Ho Chi Minh City will provide favourable conditions for Mekong Delta localities to organise trade and investment promotion activities in the city to catch the attention of the city's businesses. At the same time, it will coordinate with Mekong Delta provinces and cities to deploy the enterprise support programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands for local businesses to enhance competitiveness, marketing techniques, trade promotion, and knowledge of international laws and conventions.
Thanh Thao
Vietnamese
