Can Tho Promotion Agency Sustaining Momentum for Breakthrough Investment Attraction

Through a range of practical investment and trade promotion activities, the Can Tho Promotion Agency has contributed to the city’s socio-economic development. It serves as an important bridge between the city government and the investor community, helping to promote Can Tho as a dynamic, attractive, and high-potential investment destination, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of attracting domestic and foreign capital.

Substantive and practical activities

In 2025, Can Tho City’s investment promotion and outreach activities delivered positive results, making a distinct impact in terms of scale, substance, and execution. A notable highlight was the diversification of promotion formats, effectively integrating in-person and virtual engagements across both domestic and international markets. The Can Tho Promotion Agency successfully completed all 18 assigned tasks, with seven exceeding annual targets, thereby establishing a solid foundation for the 2026-2030 development period.

Can Tho City hosts a meeting with Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation, welcoming the company to invest in industrial and infrastructure sectors

Nguyen Thi Kieu Duyen, Acting Director of the Can Tho Promotion Agency, said that the practical activities carried out effectively by the agency helped enterprises strengthen market connections, expand partner networks, enhance competitiveness, and gradually affirm the position of local products in domestic and international markets. At the same time, the agency contributed to creating a business-friendly support environment, reducing administrative barriers, and improving investment and production-business efficiency. “Instead of implementing activities in a scattered manner, we focused on substantive events, with investment promotion making clear progress in both scale and depth. Feedback from the business community further demonstrates our bridging role, spirit of support, and proactive approach, especially as enterprises continue to face economic fluctuations and increasing requirements for digital and green transformation,” Nguyen Thi Kieu Duyen shared.

One of the main highlights was the meeting between Can Tho’s authorities and businesses, a direct and constructive dialogue event. This was not merely a routine administrative discussion but a forum where local leaders directly learned and directed the on-site resolution of investor difficulties. It reflected practical efforts to improve the business environment, helping to strengthen investor confidence locally.

At the same time, Can Tho’s agricultural products and specialties continued to be promoted effectively through the 2025 Autumn Fair in Hanoi. With retail revenue reaching approximately VND200 million in just 10 days, the event confirmed the appeal of local goods in the northern market. In particular, economic diplomacy was evident on the sidelines of the Executive Committee Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF). The space showcasing distinctive agricultural products and One Commune One Product (OCOP) items served as a “cultural-economic ambassador,” bringing the image of Can Tho closer to international delegates.

In addition, 2025 marked a strong shift in the Can Tho Promotion Agency’s support for the business community. Beyond providing information through traditional channels, the agency facilitated enterprise connections through social media platforms such as Vie4biz, the Facebook fanpage of the Trade Promotion Agency, global B2B groups and regional B2B groups coordinated by the Trade Promotion Agency in cooperation with Vietnam Trade Offices abroad, as well as consulting activities and direct trade connection events tailored to enterprise requests and specific orders.

Promoting digital transformation, enhancing business support

Innovation has also focused on expanding the use of digital technology. The Can Tho Promotion Agency has supported enterprises in listing products on reputable e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba and using social media platforms such as TikTok to reach markets. The digitization of promotional materials through QR codes and websites has enabled international investors from Japan, Australia, Thailand, and other countries to access project information quickly and accurately.

Alongside promotion activities, the Can Tho Promotion Agency has given particular attention to investment consulting, support, and working closely with enterprises. Rather than concentrating on surface-level efforts, it has engaged more substantively by organizing direct survey delegations to promptly identify difficulties and practical needs arising in production and business operations.

It has advised on organizing regular dialogues between the local government and businesses, serving as open forums that help narrow the gap between regulatory agencies and entrepreneurs. The effectiveness of this work is reflected in the Can Tho Promotion Agency’s receipt of petitions from 16 enterprises covering 32 specific issues related to credit, taxation, land, and consumer markets. Beyond listening, these petitions were consolidated, categorized, and coordinated closely with relevant departments and agencies for timely resolution. This has helped enterprises maintain stable production and business operations and strengthened confidence in the city government’s support.

2026 is a pivotal year for advancing the objectives set out in the Resolution of the Can Tho City Party Congress for the 2025-2030 term. On that basis, the Can Tho Promotion Agency is focusing on identifying and addressing key bottlenecks. The first priority is improving the quality of investment promotion, shifting from a broad approach to a more focused one, and targeting large-scale projects with high technology content and added value, in line with the digital economy, green economy, and logistics.

Nguyen Thi Kieu Duyen said the agency’s upcoming direction is to streamline its organizational structure toward greater professionalism and to build a smart digital investment promotion ecosystem to strengthen competitiveness. At the same time, it will enhance inter-agency coordination, improve investor support processes to ensure faster and more efficient handling, and advise on distinctive incentive policies to differentiate Can Tho from other localities in the region in attracting investment.

In the coming period, Can Tho City will focus on promoting and attracting investment in sectors with strong effects aligned with its role as a regional center, including logistics services; trade and services; tourism; agricultural and aquatic product processing; manufacturing; energy; high-tech agriculture; and the green economy. On that basis, the Can Tho Promotion Agency will proactively develop promotion strategies by sector and target market, closely linking investment promotion, trade promotion, and local image promotion, thereby contributing to stronger connectivity, more effective investment attraction, and sustainable socio-economic development for the city.

Cong Luan (Vietnam Business Forum)