Western Australia seeks cooperation with Dong Nai in agriculture, energy and education and training

On September 21, Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the Dong Nai City Party Committee (CPC) and Chairman of the municipal People's Committee, received and met with a delegation from Western Australia led by Roger Cook MLA, Premier of Western Australia and Minister for Defence Industries; Tourism, Trade and Investment.

Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the Dong Nai CPC and Chairman of the municipal People's Committee, meets with the Western Australian delegation on September 21. Photo: Ngoc Lien

Also attending the meeting were Brent Stewart, Acting Consul General of Australia in Ho Chi Minh City; Pham Hai Anh, Consul General of Vietnam in Perth, the largest city in Western Australia; and leaders of Dong Nai's departments and agencies.

Leaders of Dong Nai's departments and agencies attend the meeting. Photo: Ngoc Lien

At the meeting, Roger Cook MLA said the visit and working sessions with Dong Nai leaders provided an opportunity for Western Australia to strengthen cooperation with Southeast Asian countries. He noted that Dong Nai is a young and dynamic city with considerable development opportunities.

The Western Australian delegation attends the meeting. Photo: Ngoc Lien

According to Roger Cook MLA, Western Australia is Australia's largest state by land area, accounting for 20% of the country's GDP and more than 50% of its total export value. It is also one of Australia's three strongest and fastest-growing economies. Western Australia has abundant natural resources, including large reserves of iron ore, oil and gas. The state has also developed strong capabilities in high-tech agriculture, logistics and supply-chain development. It aims to position itself as a gateway to the Australian economy.

Roger Cook MLA said he was impressed by Dong Nai as a young and dynamic city, noting that it shares similar development priorities with Western Australia and offers considerable potential for future cooperation in high-tech industries, supply chains and logistics. He said these similarities could create opportunities for the two sides to cooperate in high-tech manufacturing, agriculture and food production. Western Australia also seeks to learn from Dong Nai's development experience while looking for long-term partners to capitalize on its strengths in energy, agriculture and education and training.

Deputy Secretary of the CPC and Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Nguyen Van Ut presents a souvenir to Roger Cook MLA, Premier of Western Australia. Photo: Ngoc Lien

Sharing information about Dong Nai's development plans and priorities, Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Nguyen Van Ut said the city has a multimodal transport system comprising roads, railways, inland waterways, seaports and air transport. In particular, the Long Thanh International Airport project, Phuoc An Port and the network of expressways are expected to open up new development opportunities for Dong Nai. The city is pursuing development across multiple sectors, guided by diverse development directions and a distinctive long-term vision.

According to Nguyen Van Ut, following the merger, Dong Nai has more room for development and a larger population, providing a significant resource for the city's growth. The city has also set sustainable development priorities for sectors including industry, agriculture and logistics.

The municipal People's Committee Chairman affirmed that although Dong Nai is a young city, it has ambitious development goals and is determined to lay a sustainable foundation for development in areas such as education, services and logistics. However, Dong Nai has yet to develop many high-tech agricultural models. Nguyen Van Ut expressed his hope that Dong Nai and Western Australia would strengthen development cooperation, particularly as the city still has ample land available for agricultural development and is ready to welcome investors.

By N.Lien – Translated by M.Nguyet, Thu Ha