Speaking at a conference on connectivity among Mekong Delta localities in Ben Tre Province last Saturday, Vo Thanh Hao, chairman of Ben Tre Province and secretary of the provincial Party Committee, stressed that regional linkage is pivotal in the area but measures needed to promote connectivity have yet to be employed.

 

Hao said the issues have been raised at many conferences and seminars but local authorities have yet to discuss them thoroughly. He said apart from agriculture and seafood, the delta has great potential in sectors like tourism, seafood processing and renewable energy.

 

However, the region still lags behind other parts of the country in terms of healthcare, education, infrastructure, manpower and investment attraction.

 

Hao emphasized the delta is facing a slew of challenges given climate change, rising sea levels and salinity intrusion while all provinces and cities, except for Can Tho, are financially weak and reliant on State budget appropriations.

 

He said the regional linkage scheme, considered as a driver of social-economic development in the region, is still on paper. There are no mechanisms and policies to stimulate growth in the delta.

 

Besides, while connectivity among localities is poor, some of them even embraced unhealthy competition that weakens regional linkage.

 

The region, with support from central State agencies, has adopted bilateral and multilateral connectivity models such as the Mekong Delta Economic Cooperation, but their efficiency remains unclear.

 

Hao said the abovementioned difficulties and poor awareness have hindered the development of each locality as well as the whole region.

 

Ngo Dong Hai, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission, told the conference that apart from the lack of good policies, weak regional linkage in the delta is attributable to localities pursuing their own interests.

 

He explained that as long as each locality still searches for opportunities and resources for itself to fuel growth, regional linkage will remain impossible.