South Korea to invest in many sectors in Can Tho

South Korea to invest in many sectors in Can Tho

South Korea to invest in many sectors in Can Tho

Huynh Kim

Korean delegation members meet potential Can Tho City partners to discuss economic cooperation last Friday in the Mekong Delta city – PHOTO: HUYNH KIM

CAN THO – South Korean enterprises are seeking more chances to invest in traffic infrastructure, education, health, information technology, high-tech agriculture, and smart city projects in Can Tho City.

Professor Lee Beom Jae from Ajou University, head of a Korean business delegation to Can Tho City last week, said at a meeting with leaders of the city on Friday that Korean businesses are keen to sound out opportunities in these sectors in the city.

He hoped to connect many projects in Can Tho with Korean enterprises and the two sides would have specific projects by the end of this month.

He suggested that Can Tho should open direct flights from the city to Korea as it currently takes Korean enterprises nearly four hours to travel from HCMC to Can Tho.

Vo Thanh Thong, chairman of the city, said Can Tho is seeking to open air services to Singapore and Korea after launching air links with Taiwan and Thailand. Besides, if Trung Luong-Can Tho Expressway is completed in 2019, it will help halve the traveling time between HCMC and Can Tho to two hours.

Korea-Vietnam Incubator Park (KVIP), which has got funding partly by the Korean government and has been put into operation in the city since last year, and a 200-hectare high-tech industrial park underway near KVIP will help incubate startup ideas to bolster economic cooperation between Can Tho and Korea.

By the end of 2016, Korea had nine investment projects with total registered capital of US$247 million in Can Tho. The Korean Rice and Food Association has opened a branch in Vietnam with its office located in KVIP.

Lee Kwang In, vice chairman of Donghae Engineering & Consultants, said at the meeting that his company would cooperate with the city in land planning, transport, and logistics related to the smart city project.

Nguyen Khanh Tung, director of Can Tho Trade and Investment Promotion Center, also introduced projects in transport infrastructure, education, health, information technology, high-tech agriculture needing a combined US$618 million to Korean enterprises at the meeting.

South Korea to invest in many sectors in Can Tho Related image(s)