The 9th Vietnam-France Decentralized Cooperation Conference will take place from June 9-12 in Brest, France within the framework of the Vietnam-France Year that was designed for celebrating the 40th anniversary of Vietnamese-French diplomatic relations (1973-2013). Scientific and technological cooperation with Brest will provide opportunities for Ba Ria-Vung Tau to promote socioeconomic development.

Could you tell us about the province’s participation in the 9th Vietnam-France Decentralized Cooperation Conference? At the invitation of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ba Ria-Vung Tau will send a delegation to the upcoming 9th Vietnam-France Decentralized Cooperation Conference themed ‘Towards a new type of development: opportunities and responsibilities of Vietnamese and French localities and local partners’. The conference will be divided into six sessions covering three topics: education, training, healthcare, and culture in the Francophone community; urban and rural development and planning; and local administrators settling economic difficulties. Attending this conference Ba Ria-Vung Tau will present two assays, strengthen cooperation and find solutions to further develop the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on international cooperation in science and technology signed by the province and Brest on October 5, 2011. Through the conference, we will introduce the Francophone community and the world as a whole about Ba Ria-Vung Tau as an impressive and friendly province with the huge potential for sea-based economy development. The provincial delegation is expected to exchange information with representatives from French localities and other countries. What orientations does the province have to realize the cooperation MoU with Brest? In 2005, a French delegation came to Ba Ria-Vung Tau to help the province implement a project to control coastal erosion with the Stabiplage method. During its visit to France for working with the Espace Pur Company on this project, a Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province delegation signed an initial agreement to establish a cooperation framework between the province and Brest. This was a precondition for the two sides to sign the October 5, 2011 memorandum of understanding on international cooperation in science and technology. This MoU is aimed at creating a sea-related technology scientific research and training cooperation center to cater for the development of a sea-based economy. The province is considering research and application of France’s Technopole Brest-Iroise Science Park model to construct a Ba Ria-Vung Tau Ocean Science Park (this park will probably be built in the Go Gang area) and lay foundation for developing a sea-related hi-tech park in the province. The province is a member of the Maritime Innovative Territories International Network. Scientific and technological cooperation with Brest will provide opportunities for Ba Ria-Vung Tau to promote socioeconomic development.