Mekong Delta and Middle East-Africa: Strengthening supply chain connectivity for shared prosperity

Delegates take souvenir photos.

Attending and delivering opening remarks at the conference were Ms. Nguyen Minh Hang, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs ; Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee and Mr. Bader Almatrooshi, UAE Ambassador to Vietnam.

The conference brought together more than 100 delegates, including officials from departments, agencies, and representatives of many enterprises and associations in Tay Ninh, Can Tho, An Giang , Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Ca Mau and the UAE; including large enterprises cooperating with Vietnam such as DP World, LuLu, Emirates Airlines, Abu Dhabi Ports; and member associations and enterprises such as the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and VietGate.

In her opening speech, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang emphasized that Vietnam attaches importance to developing relations with Middle Eastern and African partners, prioritizing the promotion of a comprehensive partnership with the UAE.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang delivered the opening speech at the Conference.

Proposing to coordinate the implementation of specific projects, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang hopes that the UAE will support Vietnam in areas such as developing high-tech agriculture , expanding logistics infrastructure, green tourism and building industrial parks meeting Halal standards in the S-shaped country.

In an online message sent to the Conference, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the UAE Ministry of Economy, emphasized his commitment to supporting and facilitating Vietnamese businesses, considering Vietnam a strategic partner in the region.

Meanwhile, UAE Ambassador Bader Almatrooshi introduced the sustainable development orientation of the Middle Eastern country, and highly appreciated the potential for cooperation between the UAE and Vietnamese localities, especially the Mekong Delta region.

Overview of the Conference "Connecting the Mekong Delta agricultural supply chain with the Middle East-Africa: The strategic role of the UAE".

The discussion session, chaired by Ms. Nguyen Phuong Tra, Director of the Middle East - Africa Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, discussed specific perspectives from localities, Vietnamese enterprises and UAE enterprises in developing supply chains for agricultural products of the Mekong Delta; thereby, connecting to the UAE and Middle East and African markets.

Mr. La Trong Ky, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho, said that the city has developed concentrated agricultural raw material areas that meet standards for stable domestic consumption and export. The orientation of expanding the city's agricultural and aquatic product consumption market according to Halal certification requirements is an important trend in the agricultural and food export strategy of Can Tho city towards the Middle East market and other countries in the world.

In addition, the speeches of businesses from the UAE focused on logistics, infrastructure, and updating market trends and demands. Mr. Nicolas Tronel, Country Director of DP World in Vietnam, shared effective logistics solutions to help optimize the supply chain from the Mekong Delta to the UAE, and proposed proposals for developing an ecosystem of supply infrastructure and multimodal transportation.

Representatives of Emirates Airlines focused on clarifying the role of aviation in transporting goods, as well as the potential of the Middle East market.

LuLu Group - a company currently distributing more than 300 products to Vietnam in its supermarket system in the UAE, said that Vietnamese products are extremely suitable for the needs and tastes of the UAE market. The company is currently strengthening cooperation with local manufacturers, improving logistics, and seeking opportunities to distribute new products.

Discussion session at the Conference.

From an expert perspective, statements by representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam, the Vietnam Association of Science and Technology Enterprises and the Institute of West Asia, South Asia and Africa Studies, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, provided information on the Halal certification system, a mandatory requirement when exporting to Muslim markets.

Experts also assessed that the UAE and Vietnam are two markets with many similarities and can complement each other: the UAE can be a gateway for Vietnam to access the GCC market, and vice versa, Vietnam plays a role in connecting GCC-ASEAN cooperation.

The conference was a great success, opening up many new directions for agricultural products in the Mekong Delta region, affirming the UAE's strategic role as a bridge in promoting trade between Vietnam and the Middle East-Africa region.

This is an opportunity to strengthen connectivity and take advantage of the UAE's role as a logistics and trade center, a leading economic partner and also the only comprehensive partner of Vietnam in the Middle East and Africa, to bring agricultural products of the Mekong Delta to this potential market.

On the same morning, within the framework of the activities to implement the Project "Strengthening international cooperation to build and develop Vietnam's Halal industry by 2030", the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also coordinated with the People's Committee of Tay Ninh province to organize a course to update knowledge and foreign affairs skills to improve capacity in developing the Halal market for local foreign affairs officials and civil servants in the Mekong Delta region.

The training course attracted nearly 100 trainees who are civil servants, officials working in foreign affairs and international integration, and local enterprises. Here, trainees listened to the reporters from the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences discuss the content of "Global Halal market: potential and international cooperation activities to develop Vietnam's Halal industry" and "Halal standards, certification and some notes for businesses".