At the working session, head of SECO delegation Katrin Ochsenbein, said SECO is currently in charge of the Economic Development and Cooperation Program of Switzerland in Vietnam. SECO’s strategy for Vietnam in 2021-2024 aims to support the Southeast Asian nation to achieve sustainable growth. According to Katrin Ochsenbein, Switzerland has been supporting Can Tho in public finance management (PFM), sustainable urban development and tourism.

SECO decided to implement the project “the Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development Project (ST4SD) in Vietnam for the 2023-2027 period”, aiming to contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive tourism sector in Vietnam through promoting public-private dialogue on tourism policy, and developing sustainable tourism management and business skills, she noted.

According to Swiss bidding regulations, SECO has successfully selected agencies and partners to coordinate with Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to implement the ST4SD project in Vietnam, namely Helvetas (Swiss development organization - implementing agency); Center for Rural Economic Development (CRED); Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL Hospitality Business School), one of the best hospitality management schools in the world; the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), specializing in Sustainable Tourism.

The delegation of the SECO and ST4SD conducted a survey in the Mekong Delta region from May 16-19 as part of activities to select localities and assess their potential, ability and commitment to participate in the projects in the coming time.

According to SECO specialists, the project aims to support Vietnamese planners and researchers in promoting policies on sustainable tourism; strengthen the capacity of Vietnamese schools in training and professional development in sustainable tourism. Moreover, the project aims to support destinations and tourism businesses to develop sustainably in operation and investment activities.

Mr. Nguyen Thuc Hien, Vice Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee, briefed the socio-economic situation and development orientation of Can Tho City. Specifically, the city's authorities focus on maximizing the potential and advantages, effectively exploiting the city's tourism resources. As the hub of the Mekong Delta, Can Tho City is developing strongly in roadways, waterways, and airways. Furthermore, Can Tho City strives to promote tourism development in depth, improve service quality, prolong the length of stay of tourists, and develop specific tourism products such as river tourism, MICE tourism, cultural tourism, and community tourism, aiming at developing tourism into a spearhead economic sector of the locality by 2030.

Vice Chairman Nguyen Thuc Hien said that Can Tho has been supported by international organizations in developing sustainable and green tourism. Specifically, Switzerland has financed two projects in Tan Loc Islet and Cai Rang floating market. He wishes to receive more support to develop tourism products with unique characteristics. 

Vice Chairman Nguyen Thuc Hien assigned the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to coordinate with relevant departments and districts to support the SECO delegation in surveying Can Tho City. He said that the city would focus on completing a set of sustainable tourism criteria and call on units to invest in upgrading infrastructure serving tourism development.

According to Department of Foreign Affairs, last year, Can Tho welcomed over 5.1 million holiday-makers, up 142% year-on-year. The city’s total revenue from tourism activities reached 4.11 trillion VND (over 175.2 million USD), 199% higher than the figure reported in 2021.