Also attending the meeting were representatives of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance, the Office of the Provincial People’s Committee, and the Lao Cai Cooperative Alliance.

Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman Giang Quoc Hung affirmed that, in recent years, the Government of Canada, through the Embassy of Canada in Vietnam, has supported the implementation of many meaningful programmes and projects in Lao Cai Province. These programmes which focus on vulnerable groups such as women and children, have helped improve local people’s quality of life while also creating jobs and sustainable livelihoods for communities in the province.

Mr. Giang Quoc Hung highly appreciated the personal contributions of Ms. Francesca Bellone to strengthening the cooperative relationship between Lao Cai Province and the Embassy of Canada in Vietnam. He also expressed his sincere hope that the Embassy would continue supporting the province in implementing projects aimed at poverty reduction, social welfare, and improving the material and spiritual well-being of local people, especially in disadvantaged areas.

Lao Cai Province committed to directing relevant agencies and local authorities to accelerate the implementation of ongoing projects and carefully prepare for future initiatives. The province will also promptly address difficulties arising during project implementation in order to ensure both progress and effectiveness.

The Vice Chairman proposed that the Government of Canada and the Embassy continue to provide ODA funding and concessional loans to support Lao Cai Province in developing rural transport infrastructure and connectivity projects, as well as projects in education, healthcare, poverty reduction, and climate change adaptation. He also expressed his hope that the cooperative relationship between Lao Cai Province and the Embassy of Canada in Vietnam would continue to be strengthened and expanded, thereby contributing positively to the growing partnership between Vietnam and Canada.

Speaking at the meeting, Ms. Francesca Bellone, Counsellor and Head of Development Cooperation, expressed her appreciation for the warm reception from the leaders of Lao Cai Province and highly valued the active coordination of local departments and agencies in implementing Canadian-funded projects in the locality.

She noted that Canada is promoting international development cooperation alongside strengthening bilateral trade relations, with a focus on areas of mutual strength such as agriculture, forestry, mining, and high technology. Expressing satisfaction with the progress of ongoing projects, the Canadian side also wished to learn more about Lao Cai Province’s development priorities in the coming years, particularly areas involving private sector participation and the province’s development orientation over the next three to five years. This would provide a basis for both sides to further study and develop more suitable and effective cooperation programmes in the future...