Vietnam contributes US$10 million to Mekong sub-region development fund
Now is the time for regional countries to build a unified, resilient, and sustainably developed Mekong community.
In a bid to foster cohesive action and achieve breakthroughs in economic cooperation, Vietnam will contribute US$10 million to the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Development Fund.
| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the summit. Photos: Nhat Bac/VGP |
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made the announcement at the 10th ACMECS Summit on November 7 along with government leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
At the conference, themed "Toward Seamless Connectivity for an Integrated Mekong Subregion," Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh highlighted ACMECS's central role in Mekong subregional cooperation. He described it as an integral part of the ASEAN Community, a gateway connecting ASEAN with Northeast and Southeast Asia, and a bridge between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Vietnam, he said, continues to take an active, proactive, and creative part in ACMECS's development, aiming to build a strong ACMECS for a united, diverse, and balanced ASEAN.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the world is entering an era of innovation, opening up critical new opportunities for development, both for individual nations and for the region as a whole. Now is the time for ACMECS to embrace a new mission: to build a unified, resilient, and sustainably developed Mekong community.
ACMECS cooperation, according to the Prime Minister, should embody a "5-shared" spirit: a shared aspiration, vision, determination, voice, and action. He proposed six key priorities to propel ACMECS cooperation forward.
The first is cohesive action, ensuring seamless alignment from strategy formulation to practical implementation. Plans and programs must be substantive, focused, and avoid dispersion, addressing member countries' development needs with a high degree of feasibility and appropriate resource mobilization.
The Prime Minister also announced that Vietnam would contribute USD 10 million to the ACMECS Development Fund.
The second is to combine tradition with modernization, ensuring balanced, harmonious growth across both traditional and modern economic sectors. Priorities here include advancing comprehensive digital transformation through infrastructure and digital service investment, supporting startups and innovation, and applying digital technology in manufacturing, information and communications, finance, banking, digital customs, and smart border checkpoints.
| Country leaders at the summit. |
The third priority is rapid and sustainable growth, with a focus on green transition, circular economy, and sharing economy. Given the urgency of climate action and sustainable development, ACMECS’s top priority is to attract green financing for green industry, clean agriculture, and low-emission transportation.
The Prime Minister urged greater cooperation in disaster management through capacity-building projects, early-warning systems across Mekong countries, and resilient infrastructure development.
Fourth, he highlighted regional and international connectivity, promoting the flow of goods, services, and people across the five nations. This requires streamlined, harmonized procedures and a focus on infrastructure, particularly railways and highways, to strengthen intra- and inter-regional connectivity.
Fifth, he emphasized the need to connect government with citizens and businesses, suggesting that all ACMECS strategies, action plans, and projects focus on people and enterprises as key beneficiaries and drivers, ensuring inclusive benefits and leaving no one behind.
The sixth priority is to balance development with stability and security. The Prime Minister suggested that ACMECS strengthen cross-border cooperation on crime prevention, particularly against drugs and cybercrime, and ensure that no criminal activities in one country threaten another.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's insights and recommendations were highly regarded by the conference and reflected in its documents. At the conference's conclusion, the leaders adopted the Vientiane Declaration and witnessed the handover of the ACMECS Chairmanship from Laos to Myanmar.
Looking ahead, leaders agreed that ACMECS will continue promoting transport connectivity, developing digital infrastructure, and facilitating trade to transform the Mekong region into a regional logistics hub. Additionally, they prioritized developing a high-quality workforce and the promotion of digital and green transitions.
The five leaders also committed to enhancing cooperation on sustainable transboundary water management, sharing hydrological data, and establishing early-warning systems for natural disasters.
