On Wednesday afternoon, Da Nang People’s Committee Chairman Huynh Duc Tho and Vice Chairman Ho Ky Minh warmly received Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Viet Nam Shimizu Akira.

The signing ceremony in progress

Chairman Tho congratulated the Japanese guest on his new position as the Chief Representative of JICA in Viet Nam. The city leader thanked the Japanese government for its active support for Da Nang, and Viet Nam as a whole, over recent years.

The city leader highly lauded the visit made by Mr Shimizu Akira which would be laid the foundation for more specific cooperation relations in the aspects of mutual concern.

Mr Tho said the Da Nang government greatly appreciated JICA for its financial assistance and support efforts for his city, especially for the Lien Chieu Port project, over recent years.

Chief Representative of JICA in Viet Nam Shimizu Akira (3rd left), Chairman Tho (centre) and Vice Chairman Minh (3rd right) at the signing ceremony

In reply, Chief Representative Shimizu Akira highlighted the importance of the Lien Chieu Port project to the socio-economic development of Da Nang, and the central region at large.

The guest vowed that JICA would continue to give a helping hand to the city to implement its socio-economic development projects in the near future, thereby boosting bilateral relations between Viet Nam and Japan.

Also at the meeting, representatives of the Da Nang People’s Committee and JICA inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on conducting survey and collecting research data for the Lien Chieu Port development project in Da Nang.

Under the MoU, JICA will help Da Nang to conduct survey and collect data for the construction of the Lien Chieu Port, and to develop planning strategies for the Port and nearby areas for the 2025-2040 period.

The project, using Japan's official development assistance (ODA), will be carried out from July - November this year.

JICA will send a report on the research results to the Da Nang authorities for consideration and approval.

By THANH LAN - Translated by MAI DUNG