The
Mekong River Delta Business Forum was held in the southern province of Ca Mau
on October 20 with a focus on connectivity, cooperation and sustainable
development in the Mekong River Delta region. 
The event is within the framework of the Mekong Delta Economic Cooperation (MDEC) Forum 2011 which is being held in the province.
Addressing the forum, Pham Thanh Tuoi, Chairman of the Ca Mau provincial People’s Committee emphasized that promoting cooperation and links among businesses in the Mekong River Delta is an inevitable trend in the international integration process.
The Mekong River Delta has a population of 17 million, boasting the country's biggest seafood and rice output, and making up 20 percent of national GDP.
At the forum, delegates agreed to implement three major solutions to develop businesses in the Mekong River Delta. Accordingly, a regional business council will be established to devise strategies and an appropriate roadmap for promoting product quality and brands of key products.
They proposed setting up an investment and trade promotion centre between Vietnam, the Mekong Delta region and ASEAN, as well as a regional steering committee towards sustainable development.
It was agreed that since joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), businesses in the country and the Mekong River Delta have faced numerous challenges. Especially, in recent years, businesses encountered major difficulties due to global economic instability, high inflation, price fluctuations, and high interest rates.
The Mekong Delta region now houses 44,000 businesses with a total registered capital of VND356 trillion.
(VOV)
