CẦN THƠ — Belarusian Consul General in HCM City Alexander Sidoruk visited and held a working session with the authorities of Cần Thơ on Thursday to explore economic opportunities.

Sidoruk said his visit exposes ample untapped economic potential. The Belarus side brings strengths in exporting fertilisers, crop protection chemicals, agricultural equipment, and high-tech products, and is interested in importing Vietnamese rice, coffee, rubber, seafood, and dairy products.

Citing similar development profiles between Belarusian localities and Cần Thơ, he proposed that the city explore signing a memorandum of understanding with Belarusian partners to accelerate two-way trade. He also pushed for deeper people-to-people diplomacy, cultural exchanges, and tourism cooperation, including the possible launch of direct flights connecting Cần Thơ and Belarus.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Lê Quang Tùng briefed the delegation on the local socio-economic trajectory. Economically, Cần Thơ is planning more than 30 industrial parks and already runs nine large-scale industrial zones. By 2030, it wants industry, construction, trade, and services to dominate its economy.

Under broader national development orientations, Cần Thơ aims for annual growth above 10 per cent through 2030 and beyond, powered by sci-tech, digital transformation, and other key sectors. In this process, it hopes for stronger support and cooperation from international partners, including those from Belarus, he said.

Tung backed the Consul General’s pitch, saying that Cần Thơ would study possible areas of cooperation and quickly draft detailed plans to lock in deals. Trade and investment will be the focus to boost two-way flows. He called on the Belarusian Consulate General to steer Belarusian trade agencies in Vietnam to facilitate exports of Cần Thơ’s key products and vice versa, aiming to lift annual trade.

The city plans to expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges and launch tourism routes linking Belarusian localities to drive traffic in both directions, he said, and believes that the moves would cement ties between Cần Thơ and Belarusian partners, and contribute to the broader Việt Nam-Belarus relationship.

Cần Thơ is the Mekong Delta’s growth engine and gateway, with strategic road, waterway, and air links. As the region’s financial, commercial, healthcare, and tech hub, the city aims to become a modern, green growth centre by 2030, with a vision to rank among Asia’s developed cities by 2050.

In the first quarter, Cần Thơ’s GRDP grew an estimated 7.02 per cent year-on-year, while industrial production jumped 9.41 per cent. The city landed four new domestic projects worth VNĐ451 billion during the same period. It is now home to 123 foreign-invested projects valued at nearly US$7.056 billion. — VNA/VNS