During the visit to Lao Cai Province from October 22 to 23, 2021, Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Pranay Verma and Chairman of Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee Trinh Xuan Truong witnessed the signing of an MOU between the Embassy of India and the provincial authorities for a project aimed at theconstruction of classrooms for Trung Chai Kindergarten in Sa Pa, under the Government of India’s Quick Impact Project programme.
The project, which will facilitate education of more than 100 children of Sa Pa, has received total investment of nearly US$ 100,000, of which the Government of India will provide a grant assistance of US$ 50,000.
At the MOU signing ceremony, Ambassador highlighted that tangible and speedy delivery of grassroots infrastructure provided by Quick Impact Projects brought direct benefits to the local community and contributed to Vietnam’s efforts towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.
During the visit, Ambassador Pranay Verma met with Dang Xuan Phong, Secretary of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee, and Trinh Xuan Truong, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, to discuss potential areas of cooperation between India and Lao Cai Province.
Ambassador Pranay Verma noted that cooperation at the level of provinces was one of the key pillars of India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and said that he looked forward to closer engagement with Lao Cai as part of theembassy’s provincial outreach.
He highlighted the potential for cooperation in trade, economics,and development as well as people-to-people linkages through tourism and cultural exchanges. The ambassador also suggestedcooperation with Lao Cai Province in capacity building programmes, including in the ICT sector.
At the meetings, leaders of Lao Cai briefed Ambassador on potential opportunities for cooperation with India based on Lao Cai’s socio-economic development priorities in the areas of infrastructure development, agriculture and ago-processing, mining, tourism, smart cities, and socio-cultural development. They invited Indian investors to Lao Cai Province to establishpartnerships in these and other areas.
