'Untie knots' in Mekong Delta infrastructure growth: PM

By Cuu Long May 9, 2021 | 02:44 am PT

Workers prepare rice for exports on My Thoi Port on Hau River, An Giang Province. Photo by VnExpress/Cuu Long.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh Saturday called on Mekong Delta officials to “untie knots’ in infrastructure development, stressing that this was key for the region to fulfill its full potential.

He also said the region should give priority to developing port and aviation infrastructure.

The PM was speaking during his first visit to Can Tho City since taking office.

He said the Mekong Delta was a region of around 20 million people with great growth potential, but its infrastructure development has not matched needs.

When it does, Can Tho will become the political and socio-economic center of the region, he added.

He said the region’s infrastructure development should be centered around Can Tho, connecting the city surrounding provinces and regions as well as neighboring country Cambodia.

Local authorities should not be reluctant to begin work because of the projects’ high price tag of projects, he said, advising that priority be accorded to studying the possibility of building a port in Soc Trang Province to receive 100,000-ton ships as well developing aviation infrastructure for the region.

He also said the region should invest in training and education, which are the soft infrastructure it needs.

Towards this, the focus should be on completing the ecosystem of Can Tho University to provide high-quality labor for the whole Mekong Delta region, he said.