Can Tho, India to boost ties in education, healthcare, IT

During a local working session on December 30, Sethi said India and Vietnam have enjoyed fine diplomatic ties since the upgrade of the comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016. During their virtual summit on December 21, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi agreed to enhance trade promotion, limit technical barriers and trade defence measures not conducive to trade, improve the connectivity of production chains, and maintain the regional stability and global supply chains, thus laying a foundation to expand local and regional connectivity.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Duong Tan Hien said Can Tho and India are carrying out effective cooperation projects, most notably the Mekong Delta Rice Research Institute, with India’s support in machinery and human resources.

In the field of culture, the Indian Consulate General and Can Tho city have jointly held a number of activities, in particular the annual International Day of Yoga since 2015.

He added that Can Tho wants to expand its cooperation with India in health care, specifically building modern hospitals. The city also expects to work with the country in education, with student exchange programmes, and building a concentrated information technology park and logistics centre in the Mekong Delta.

In high-tech agriculture, the city also looks to partner with India in projects to develop production of high-quality plants and aquatic products, rice cultivation, and high-tech agriculture, in combination with ecological tourism in Vinh Thanh district.

Despite COVID-19, Can Tho’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) still grew 6.97% in 2020. As of late December, it had 84 foreign-invested projects with a total registered capital of more than US$752 million.