CẦN THƠ — The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta Region is a highly promising economic area and is quite attractive to Japanese investors, according to Umeda Kunio, the Japanese ambassador to Việt Nam.

“I think it is a very effective meeting when leaders of 13 Mekong Delta provinces and 120 Japanese enterprises come together,” Umeda said at the conference titled Meeting with Japan in Mekong River Delta in Cần Thơ City yesterday.

The conference was held as part of the activities to celebrate the 45^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

It drew participation of many Japanese businesses, with a third making their first step to Việt Nam and looking for investment opportunities in the Mekong Delta Region.

“Japanese enterprises have paid more and more attention to Việt Nam, and now there are a number of Japanese enterprises in Việt Nam, more than in Thailand and the highest in Southeast Asia, with total investment of US$9.1 billion,” Umeda said.

Kanaka TetSuo, head of the Japan International Co-operation Agency in Việt Nam, said “We know about the potential of and challenges facing the Mekong Delta. I’m sure more co-operation memorandums will be signed after more discussions and Japan will increase support for human resource training, agricultural production, combating forest fires and reducing salinity.”

“Việt Nam and Japan have been comprehensive strategic partners since 2014. Japan is now number one in providing official development assistance, number two in foreign direct investment, number three in tourism and number four in trading with Việt Nam,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn said.

“The meeting is a very good chance to promote co-operation between the Mekong Delta and Japan.”

A view of Tân Đô Industrial Park in the Mekong Delta Long An Province. — Photo kcntando.vn

Võ Thành Thống, chairman of the Cần Thơ City People’s Committee, said: “In recent years many foreign investors, including Japanese, have arrived in Cần Thơ and other Mekong Delta localities. Cần Thơ authorities have recognised the demand and we annually hold information, culture, investment exchange programmes, especially with Japan, to promote investment.

“Cần Thơ and other Mekong River Delta localities pledge to assist Japanese investors in doing business in the region, especially in infrastructure, transport, agriculture, healthcare, climate change, tourism and economy.”

Lưu Quang Khánh, head of the Foreign Economic Relations Department, said Japanese assistance to Việt Nam accounted for 30 per cent of total foreign aid, focusing on energy, transport, agriculture and rural development, urban infrastructure, ports and heath care.

“Japanese-supported projects like Bạch Mai and Chợ Rẫy hospitals and Bãi Cháy, Thanh Trì, Nhật Tân, Cần Thơ bridges … have proved their effectiveness in improving Việt Nam’s social and economic conditions,” said Khánh.

He said in the future Japanese support for Việt Nam would focus on improving economic competitiveness, promoting the private sector, using natural resources effectively, coping with the consequences of economic development and supporting administrative reform.

Japanese investments are welcome in the Mekong Delta, Trương Tấn Sang, Việt Nam’s former president, has said.

The Vietnamese Government would strive to boost the development of the Mekong River Delta as well as limit the impacts of climate change on the land in the future, and develop co-operation with foreign investors, especially with an important partner like Japan, is highly encouraged, he said. — VNS