Cần Thơ to host investment conference

HCM CITY — More than 500 local and international delegates and representatives from ministries and sectors across the country are expected to participate in an investment promotion conference to be held in August 10 in Cần Thơ City in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta.

Under the theme “Sharing Potential for Mutual Development”, the conference will discuss the city’s desire to become a high-tech service and agriculture centre as well as an information technology hub in the region.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, along with 500 domestic and foreign delegates, is expected to attend the event.

The event will be attended by investment promotion agencies, including Japan External Trade Organisation, the American Chamber of Commerce, and the European Chamber of Commerce, as well as international organisations such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

The city authorities will honour 11 enterprises with investment contribution to the city, issue investment certificates to 10 investors, and sign cooperation agreements between the city and representatives of 20 major groups in the country and abroad.

Võ Thành Thống, chairman of Cần Thơ People’s Committee, said Cần Thơ and other provinces in the Mekong Delta were gradually shifting from an agricultural to an industrial, trade and service economy.

“To develop sustainably in the future, it’s important to call for investment in the city as state resources are limited,” he said.

The conference will introduce the city’s strengths, investment opportunities, and specific investment support policies.

The conference will also serve as a platform for investors and international organisations to meet with local government officials and management agencies.

Investment promotion events must show authentic values, while projects calling for investment must feature good feasibility and be made on a selective basis, not only to bring practical results to the city’s social and economic development, but also to have a positive impact on the region’s development, he noted.

Investment projects

Cần Thơ City will call for VNĐ124 trillion (US$5.4 billion) investment to finance 54 projects at the conference.

These include 21 real estate projects, nine tourism projects, nine hi-tech agriculture projects, eight transport projects, four logistics projects, and two health projects, among others.

Of the 54 projects, 44 are in the form of direct investment with an estimated value of over VNĐ112.9 trillion.

Among them, 22 have found investors who are already prepared to deploy VNĐ82 trillion.

Discussions will also be held on services, hi-tech agriculture and information technology.

Some investment projects are expected to be awarded licences at the event and groundbreaking ceremonies for key projects in the area will be held.

Last year, Cần Thơ attracted 77 foreign direct investment projects worth $656 million. 

Cần Thơ is an economic, education and training, science and technology, and healthcare centre in the Mekong Delta region.

In recent years, in addition to improved infrastructure, Cần Thơ has focused on enhancing its investment environment to improve competitiveness.

For the past six years, the city has been named among the top performers in the provincial competitiveness index ranking. — VNS