Can Tho towards the center of the Mekong Delta's marine economy

After decades of development with many changes in administrative boundaries, Can Tho - the central urban area of the Mekong Delta, is facing a potential historical turning point: Becoming a locality with a sea.

Mr. Pham Van Hieu - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Can Tho City Party Committee - said that after 50 years of many mergers and separations, Can Tho is now a central urban area located in the Mekong Delta (MD), completely not bordering the sea. This brings both its own characteristics and creates many barriers in the development process, especially in international maritime trade.

Although positioned as an socio-economic center, an inter-regional and international transport unit, Can Tho's transport infrastructure still has a lot of room for development. The road has had positive changes, Can Tho International Airport has also come into operation, but the number of passengers and flights is still limited. In addition, the Central Government's orientation of the planning of the high-speed railway line is expected to bring a breakthrough in the future.

A notable issue mentioned by Mr. Pham Van Hieu is the unused potential of the rich inland waterway system.

According to the Standing Deputy Secretary of the Can Tho City Party Committee, the city currently has Cai Cui port, known as the largest port in the Mekong Delta. However, the geographical location of the port is hundreds of kilometers from the Dinh An estuary and the annual silting at this estuary causes significant difficulties for heavy-duty ships to enter and exit. The annual dredging cost is up to hundreds of billions of VND, making it difficult to receive ships over 5,000 tons.

In that context, Mr. Pham Van Hieu emphasized that Can Tho merging with a coastal administrative unit will be a "very big turning point" not only for the development of Can Tho but also for the entire Mekong Delta region. Owning a coast will create outstanding favorable conditions for international freight transportation, logistics and transportation.

In reality, the transportation of goods, especially agricultural products, seafood and fruits - items with large output of Can Tho - to deep-water seaports such as Cai Mep (Ba Ria - Vung Tau) for export is costly. If Can Tho becomes a coastal locality, with a convenient seaport, it will help significantly reduce transportation costs, enhance the competitiveness of goods in the region and open up many international trade opportunities.

"Having a sea will bring great advantages in the transportation of goods and international transportation, especially with the huge potential of agricultural, aquatic and fruit products of Can Tho and the region" - Mr. Pham Van Hieu stated.

From an inland central city, Can Tho has the potential to become a dynamic marine economic center, an important trading gateway, contributing to the common prosperity of the entire Mekong Delta in the context of increasingly deep international integration.

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