Three consul generals based in HCM City – Susan Burns (United States), Sarah Hooper (Australia), and Ono Masuo (Japan) –visited Can Tho City on October 24-25, 2023.
Consuls General Ono Masuo (Japan), Susan Burns (United States) and Sarah Hooper (Australia) (from left to right) meet representatives in Can Tho.
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,” US Consul General Susan Burns said. “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.”
On October 25, the consul generals visited Can Tho University to learn about each country's 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.
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 in partnership with SunRice Group.