On October 23rd, at Lotte Seoul Hotel, Korea, there was a meeting and between the leadership of Long An Province and nearly 20 leading Korean corporations in various sectors such as finance, banking, retail, real estate, construction, food, logistics, green industry, etc. The event was organized by the People's Committee of Long An Province in collaboration with the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam in the Republic of Korea, Saigon Telecommunication and Technology Corporation (Saigontel), and Small and Medium Business Link Company (SMBL).

The working session was attended by Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc, Member of the Central Party Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee of Long An; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Korea - Mr. Nguyen Vu Tung, and representatives of the provincial departments. Particularly, the event saw the participation of leaders from nearly 20 leading Korean corporations in various sectors such as finance, banking, retail, real estate, construction, food, green industry, including Lotte, apM Group, SNS VINA, Industrial Bank of Korea, Korea Development Bank, AJ Networks, CJ Cheiljedang Food, ZENITH, SMBL, Wooyang Shipping, Soosan Group, TORAY, ECO-UC, LS, among others. Saigontel was represented by Ms. Nguyen Cam Phuong, the CEO of Saigon Telecommunication and Technology Corporation who plays a role as the representative of the Green Infrastructure Development Alliance.

Especially, among the over 10,000 Korean enterprises that have invested in Vietnam, Long An Province has attracted more than 1,000 businesses interested in direct connection through the province's investment promotion programs which facilitated by SaigonTel since early 2021. Speaking at the working session, Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc emphasized that Long An's development is entering a new turning point, thanks to the investment attraction activities in the province and Vietnam at this time. Long An has many advantages in terms of location to continue attracting large projects. The province is the only gateway by road connecting Ho Chi Minh City, the Southeast region with the provinces of the Mekong Delta. The locality shares a border with Cambodia, has an economic border area, including the international Binh Hiep border gate and the Long Khot sub-border gate. To enhance investment attraction from both domestic and foreign sources, the province has organized various investment promotion events, such as receiving delegations from Yangsan City, Gyeonggi Province (Korea), Japan; organizing business connection conferences with Taiwan, Europe, the United States, etc.

Following with the world's Net Zero trend and aligning with the government's prioritization in climate change policies during the national economic recovery process. Recent statistics show that Vietnam's recent Net Zero strategy commits to a 43.5% reduction by 2030, making Vietnam one of the most ambitious countries in Southeast Asia. Ambassador Nguyen Vu Tung - the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to Korea said "The cooperative relationship between the two countries has entered a new stage of comprehensive strategic development since 2022. Korea is one of the few countries with close ties to Vietnam. This will open up broader cooperation opportunities in many areas, not only diplomacy, economics, people-to-people exchanges, regional security, etc., but also in new areas such as green growth, digital economy, smart cities, new energy, etc. Personally, he and the officials of the Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea will continue to pay attention, support, and enthusiastically assist Korean businesses in overcoming difficulties and investing in Vietnam conveniently. At the same time, they will convey the opinions and wishes of Korean businesses to the high-level leaders of the Vietnamese government."

A clear evidence is the implementation of the Green Growth Cooperation Agreement signed at the Long An Provincial Planning Announcement Conference on July 25, 2023, between the Provincial People's Committee and Saigon Telecommunication and Technology Corporation (SAIGONTEL) and its partners in SAIGONTEL's Green Infrastructure Development Alliance, including Energy Capital Vietnam (ECV), Allotrope Partners (AP), Chart Industries (CI), Babcock & Wilcox (B&W), among others, in the field of clean energy and the environment. This agreement outlines and supports the implementation of green energy and technical infrastructure solutions in SAIGONTEL's green industrial parks in Long An, specifically Tan Tap Industrial Park and Nam Tan Tap Industrial Park.

With the goal of reducing carbon emissions and becoming an internationally certified Net-Zero standard industrial park in Vietnam, the meeting provided Korean businesses with a more comprehensive understanding of Long An Province's direction. It aims to build collaborative relationships, consult on carbon reduction plans, and establish a Net-Zero roadmap with a vision until 2050 for the entire province. Additionally, it supports the province in attracting green development funds, contributing to the realization of the Vietnamese government's commitment to achieving "0" net emissions by 2050.

This orientation aligns well with Long An Province's recent efforts to address climate change. The close collaboration between public and private partners will contribute to building specific action plans, moving towards the national Net Zero goal. The organization of today's discussion reflects the cooperative efforts between the two countries over time, opening up new opportunities for collaboration. Opportunities always come with challenges. However, challenges are also an integral part of the journey to success.

Communication Department.