HCM City to work with provinces to spur growth

HCM City (VNA) - HCM City early this week signed a cooperation programme with provincial authorities in Bac Lieu and Soc Trang for social and economic growth from 2009-15.

Speaking in Bac Lieu, the secretary of the HCM City Party's Committee, Le Thanh Hai
called for further cooperation between the city and Bac Lieu to develop trade,
eco-tourism, and transport and financial sectors that have untapped potential.

He said the signing of a cooperation agreement would help Bac Lieu province develop
many social and economic programmes.

He asked local authorities to make a greater effort to attract investment from
foreign and domestic businesses, especially businesses in HCM City .

In Soc Trang, leaders of HCM City and Soc Trang province stressed the need to
expand cooperation between the two localities to tap their potential in agriculture
and seafood.

Hai said the cooperation was essential to help Soc Trang build infrastructure and
alleviate poverty in rural areas.

He pledged that the city would strengthen cooperation with Soc Trang to build
transport infrastructure to lure domestic and foreign investments and help local
businesses expand domestic markets to stimulate consumption and improve human
resources.

The HCM City Party leader also stressed the need to help improve the living
conditions of ethnic minority Khmer households in Soc Trang, of which 30 percent are
poor.

After the signing of the cooperation agreement between city-based enterprises and
Soc Trang province, the city's Sponsorship Association for the Poor announced its
plan to provide cataracts and heart surgery for 500 poor people in the province in
2009-10.-Enditem