The 5th Annual Mekong Delta Investment Forum 2017 (MekongInvest 2017) will be held at the end of this month and the 3rd Vietnam-Japan Cultural and Business Exchange Program will be held in November, both in the Mekong Delta’s Can Tho city.

MekongInvest is an annual regional investment promotion forum organized by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Can Tho, in cooperation with the Trade, Investment and Tourism Promotion Centers of the 13 cities and provinces in the Mekong Delta.

With the theme “Attracting Investment in Infrastructure – A Platform for Mekong Delta Tourism Development”, the forum will see 200 participants, including leaders of the Southwest Steering Committee, the People’s Committees of cities and provinces in the region, representatives from the Foreign Investment Agency at the Ministry of Planning and Investment, diplomatic missions, international promotion organizations and enterprises, and domestic and foreign investors.

Cities and provinces will invite investment in 24 tourism development projects with total capital of VND7.8 trillion ($343.2 million) and 33 real estate and infrastructure projects with total investment of VND176 trillion ($7.74 billion).

Mr. Nguyen Phuong Lam, Deputy Director of VCCI Can Tho, said that open mechanisms and policies to attract investors will also be discussed at the forum, with detailed information provided on the projects calling for investment, and domestic and foreign investors will be connected with local authorities.

Within the framework of calling for investment in the Mekong Delta, the 3rd Vietnam-Japan Cultural and Business Exchange Program will take place in Can Tho from November 3 to 5.

The event will gather leaders of cities and provinces in the region, the Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, the Japan Trade Promotion Agency (JETRO) in Ho Chi Minh City, the Japan Tourism Promotion Organization (JNTO) in Vietnam, and a Japanese business delegation.

The event features 15 booths introducing Japanese culture and products, 15 introducing Vietnamese culture and products, and 90 for Vietnamese and Japanese businesses to exhibit products and services, including in agriculture, industry, tourism, logistics, education, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods.

The Mekong Delta has 159 investment projects with total registered capital of $2.1 billion, mainly focusing on processing, manufacturing, mining, and wastewater treatment. While agriculture is strength of the region, current investment from Japan in the field is low. The event is therefore expected to be a good opportunity to attract more agriculture investors from the country.