Ho Chi Minh City, October 25, 2023 – Three Consul Generals based in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) – Susan Burns (United States), Sarah Hooper (Australia), and Ono Masuo (Japan) – visited Can Tho City on October 24-25, 2023. During the visit, they engaged with Can Tho leadership, Can Tho University management, top ecologists, and the local business community to emphasize their joint commitment to the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
The Consul Generals highlighted their bilateral and multilateral priorities during a meeting on October 24 with Secretary of Can Tho Party Committee Nguyen Van Hieu and Chairman of Can Tho People’s Committee Tran Viet Truong. They also discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the three diplomatic missions and Can Tho to respond to the city’s needs on a wide range of important topics including business and trade, energy, climate change, health, technology, and education.
“Today, we are not only celebrating each of our bilateral partnerships with Vietnam, but also the collective impact when we work together,” U.S. Consul General Susan Burns said. “Our three countries are deeply invested in Vietnam’s success. Vietnam’s success is our success, and we acknowledge the critical role Vietnam can play in ensuring regional security and stability. We will continue to respond to Vietnam’s needs and priorities, such as clean energy, climate resilience, agriculture, digital economy, trade facilitation, health, and higher education,” she continued.
“Australia, Japan, and the United States share a commitment to an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific, where we can all cooperate, trade and thrive,” Australian Consul-General Sarah Hooper said. “We are making a positive contribution to the Indo-Pacific by delivering practical outcomes that respond to the priorities of Vietnam and the region, including to advance the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.”
“Japan has been providing Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Can Tho University since 1969 to boost agricultural and fishery production as well as tackle climate change in the Mekong delta provinces and Can Tho City,” Japanese Consul General Ono Masuo said. “Today’s tour demonstrates the great potential of various stakeholders coming together to bring new prosperity to the region while protecting the environment in creative ways.”
On October 25, the Consul Generals visited Can Tho University to learn about each countries' partnership with Vietnam in the Mekong Delta to address climate change adaptation, pollution reduction and clean up, and environmental remediation and education. In addition, they toured the Mekong River via boat with leading ecologists to witness the impact of climate change on local communities. They considered suggestions on how the three countries could best assist Vietnam and other Lower Mekong countries in promoting stability, peace, prosperity, and sustainable development. Moreover, the Consul Generals visited The Interceptor 003, the joint Coca-Cola Vietnam and The Ocean Cleanup venture, with the capability of extracting 55 tons of marine trash and debris per day in the Can Tho River. They also visited the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute and toured facilities researching the establishment of a sustainable smallholder rice value chain in the Mekong Delta, research funded by the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) in partnership with SunRice Group.
For photos of the events, please visit: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAZMqQ