PM Chinh to attend 4th Mekong River Commission summit

The summit, where Chinh was invited by his Lao counterpart Sonexay Siphandone, would be held in Vientiane.

The MRC is an inter-governmental organization for dialogue and cooperation at the Lower Mekong River Basin, consisting of four members: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. Its summit has been held every four years since 2010.

The summit is for discussions and making policies to resolve issues by countries in the Lower Mekong River Basin.

This year, the summit aims to affirm the commitments of the four MRC members when it comes to abiding by the 1995 Mekong Agreement, analyze and evaluate opportunities and challenges regarding water sources, and determine plans to conduct the Mekong River Basin Development Strategy for the 2021-2030 period.

The 4th summit is also expected to see the Vientiane Joint Declaration passed, where achievements of MRC members are evaluated and plans for future cooperation are mapped.

The Mekong River, spanning 4,350 km, starts from China and flows through Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam before reaching the ocean. It is considered the lifeblood of the Southeast Asian region, ensuring the lives of around 200 million people working in agriculture and aquaculture.