The meeting had the presence of Secretary of the Can Tho Party Committee Nguyen Van Hieu, Vice Chairman of Can Tho People's Committee Nguyen Ngoc He, and representatives of Can Tho municipal departments and agencies.

At the reception, Secretary of the Can Tho Party Committee Nguyen Van Hieu said Vietnam is currently the 10th largest trading partner of Australia, which in turn ranks seventh among trading partners of the Southeast Asian nation. The two countries have been working together to improve their cooperation in climate change response and energy transition.

Secretary of the Can Tho Party Committee Nguyen Van Hieu stated that Can Tho City is currently seeking strategic investors in key areas such as education, healthcare, and high-tech agriculture. He went on to say that Can Tho is also stepping up infrastructure investment to cope with flooding and erosion while taking various measures to adapt to climate change, so it also wishes to boost cooperation with foreign partners in the field.

The official said that Can Tho City views applying science and technology in production and business activities, particularly agriculture, as a significant step forward. Therefore, it welcomes and will provide the best possible conditions for Australian enterprises to explore investment opportunities in this regard. Furthermore, the local leader has also urged for cooperation in training health workers, particularly in the area of cancer treatment.

Speaking at the meeting, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski remarked that Vietnam, especially the Mekong Delta region, has been implementing several solutions to tackle various problems including saltwater intrusion, livelihood transformation, and landslides. While these solutions have been effective to some extent, they still have certain limitations. For instance, constructing dikes to prevent saltwater intrusion can result in flooding, and improper exploitation of underground water resources can lead to subsidence and landslides.

According to Ambassador Andrew Goledzinowski, the Australian Government has invested 650 million USD in the Mekong Delta since 2000 to upgrade infrastructure, boost investment attraction and manpower training, and promote innovation. Additionally, It has also carried out the Mekong - Australia Partnership program, with a focus on water resource security, energy security, and climate change response, providing a total of 94.5 million AUD (62.2 million USD) in assistance.

Under the Vietnam - Australia strategic partnership, he noted, Australia will promote cooperation with Can Tho via the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research to develop hi-tech farming.

The Australian government has invested 200 million USD in Vietnam, with a major focus on climate change response and sustainable growth in the Mekong Delta. The Australian ambassador expressed his hope that the two countries will strengthen their ties, particularly in hi-tech agriculture adapting to climate change.