Promoting investment cooperation in the Mekong Delta region - Japan

Delegates visited the booth introducing OCOP products of Can Tho City displayed at the Japan - Mekong Delta Meeting Conference.

Ready to cooperate

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man said that the Vietnam-Japan relationship is a successful model of bilateral cooperation, built on the foundation of more than 50 years of political trust, cultural similarities and historical ties. Vietnam always considers Japan a leading strategic partner, especially in the fields of economics, investment and technology transfer.

The Japan - Mekong Delta Meeting was held in a special context, when localities across the country, including Can Tho City, have completed the organization and administrative units, and are effectively operating the two-level local government. In addition, this conference is of great significance, not only as an opportunity to review the achievements of cooperation between Japan and the Mekong Delta, but also as a valuable opportunity to shape and jointly create new directions, contributing to fostering, expanding and deepening the Vietnam - Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the coming time.

From July 1, 2025, the new Can Tho City was established on the basis of merging Can Tho City (old) and Hau Giang and Soc Trang provinces, marking an important turning point in the development process of the Mekong Delta region, establishing its role as a dynamic growth pole in the center of the Southwest sub-region. In the context of Can Tho entering a new development stage, the city is striving to create breakthroughs, attract effective investment, shape a modern and sustainable development ecosystem, develop multi-sectorally, from agriculture, industry, trade - services, eco-tourism, where specific economic zones converge including marine economy with more than 72km of coastline (old Soc Trang), smart agriculture with the core of the High-tech Agricultural Zone (old Hau Giang), innovation center, processing industry; is a trade hub connecting intra-regional, inter-regional and international transport via the road, waterway, air, sea transport system...

However, the current weakness of the Mekong Delta is poor transport infrastructure and connectivity. The region has only about 120km of highways, much lower than the actual demand; the seaport and inland waterway systems are not effectively connected, causing 80% of goods to be transported by road to ports in Ho Chi Minh City. This increases costs and reduces competitiveness. In addition to agriculture and aquaculture, supporting industries and support services in the Mekong Delta are limited, making it difficult for the region to attract investment in high value-added sectors. Provinces in the region lack close coordination, leading to scattered and ineffective resource management, hindering the development of inter-regional value chains.

Mr. Do Thanh Binh, Secretary of the Can Tho City Party Committee, said: “Hosting the conference right after the merger is a valuable opportunity for Can Tho to affirm its determination to innovate, its organizational capacity and the flexible adaptability of the two-level local government. At the same time, this is also a strong message that Can Tho City wants to send to international friends, especially Japanese partners: Can Tho is ready for a new development path, more effective, more transparent and closer to investors and businesses. With a mindset of innovation after the merger, a spirit of proactive integration and aspiration for sustainable development, Can Tho City in particular and the Mekong Delta in general are ready to be a reliable destination and a strategic partner of Japanese organizations, businesses and localities. I believe that, with the spirit of cooperation, mutual understanding and together moving towards prosperous development, the Meeting with Japan - Mekong Delta region will be a great success, opening up great opportunities for cooperation and development. between the two sides".

Together for development

At the conference, representatives of leaders of Mekong Delta localities presented the development situation, strengths, local policies and cooperation orientations with Japanese partners; at the same time, to increase foreign interaction, there was an overall picture of specific investment and implementation of Japanese partners.

To further promote the potential for cooperation, representatives of Can Tho City and localities in the Mekong Delta region proposed the following cooperation focuses with Japan in the coming time. These are: strengthening investment and trade connections by periodically organizing fairs, investment forums and establishing a permanent promotion contact with the Japanese trade promotion organization to maintain an effective information exchange channel; training and transferring technical programs, cooperating and training local enterprises on food safety standards and techniques as well as inviting Japanese experts to advise on improving production, preservation and processing processes of agricultural and aquatic products for the Mekong Delta region; investing in processing infrastructure, preservation technology and cold logistics as well as cooperating in building a logistics center serving the entire Mekong Delta region; developing a clean agricultural product value chain, applying Japanese technology in tracing the origin of preservation and deep processing; promoting cooperation with Japanese farmers, enterprises and distributors to ensure sustainable output in the region's key agricultural products...

Mr. Tran Van Lau, Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee, said that after the merger, Can Tho City will not only expand its population and development space but also combine its economic potential, resources and strategic location. The merger also creates space for planning large-scale industrial, urban and logistics zones. Can Tho aims to be the largest agricultural and aquatic center of the country; traffic infrastructure is being invested heavily with expressways, creating a network of fast connections to major industrial centers. In addition, Can Tho is also an educational center with a system of universities and research institutes that facilitate cooperation, training of high-quality human resources and technology transfer... These advantages affirm the role of Can Tho as a growth pole of the country, an attractive destination for international investors.

“Notably, in June 2025, Trung An High-Tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company (Can Tho City) exported the first shipment of 500 tons of “Low-emission Vietnamese Green Rice” to Japan. This confirms our ability to meet the strict standards of the Japanese market,” Mr. Tran Van Lau emphasized.

Ms. Obuchi Yuko, Member of the Japanese House of Representatives, said that witnessing Vietnam recording the highest economic growth rate in ASEAN, developing rapidly, and increasingly asserting its position in the global supply chain, it has affirmed that Vietnam is an important partner. Hopefully, through this event, the two sides will have more opportunities for investment cooperation in areas of mutual strength, priority, and interest such as semiconductors, high technology, etc.

Article and photos: NAM HUONG

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/thuc-day-hop-tac-dau-tu-khu-vuc-dbscl-nhat-ban-a189605.html