Dong Thap opens the 2nd Mekong Delta Startup Forum 2024

On the morning of November 15, 2024, in Cao Lanh City, the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee of Dong Thap Province opened the 2nd Mekong Delta Startup Forum 2024, with the theme "Green Economy - New driving force for development".

On the morning of November 15, 2024, in Cao Lanh City, the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee of Dong Thap Province opened the 2nd Mekong Delta Startup Forum 2024, with the theme "Green Economy - New driving force for development".

Vice Chairman of Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Forum Organizing Committee Tran Tri Quang delivered the opening speech of the Forum.

In his opening speech, Vice Chairman of Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee Tran Tri Quang, Head of the Organizing Committee, said that the Mekong Delta is one of the key economic regions with nearly 60,000 operating enterprises, with an average of 400 - 500 start-up projects each year; at the same time, it is also the largest agricultural production region in Vietnam, contributing about one-third of the country's total agricultural GDP. However, the Mekong Delta is facing many huge challenges from climate change, posing an urgent need to transform the Mekong Delta's economy, in which agricultural transformation needs to maintain a central position in the direction of sustainability and innovation.

It is recognized that green agriculture and emission reduction in the Mekong Delta are extremely important to ensure sustainable development, minimize climate change, and are the solution to the agricultural problem, creating a breakthrough for the regional economy. In 2022, for the first time, the People's Committee of Dong Thap province and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have initiated and co-organized the first Mekong Startup Forum with the theme "Modern, circular, low-emission agriculture" aiming to reduce climate change and call for, gather, and promote the momentum and actions of both the public and private sectors, especially the business force and startups with innovative elements towards sustainable development, ensuring harmony of natural advantages in 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta, contributing to solving the key problem of transforming green - modern - sustainable agriculture to create a breakthrough for the regional economy.

Leaders of the Provincial Party Committee - People's Committee and Organizing Committee performed the opening ceremony of the Forum.

At the first Forum in 2022, the Mekong Delta provinces committed to promoting the goals of “Modern, circular, low-emission agriculture” to contribute to the successful implementation of the “National effort to reduce at least 30% of total methane emissions by 2030 compared to 2020 levels in crop and livestock farming activities”.

In particular, Dong Thap commits to pioneering the creation of a “Center for Emission Reduction Solutions” in the region and encouraging the formation of innovative ecosystems and creative startups associated with tasks, goals, and solution trends related to “low emission agriculture”. However, the common challenges of the Mekong Delta region are still very large, and the awareness and action capacity of both the public and private sectors need to continue to improve to grasp new economic trends to overcome difficulties and optimize opportunities. Innovation, cooperation, and public-private linkage are considered the “key” to these issues.

Startup Projects at the Forum

The 2nd Mekong Delta Startup Forum in 2024 is organized to promote the spirit and actions of both the public and private sectors, especially the business and startup forces with innovative elements to concretize the policy of Resolution No. 13-NQ/TW dated April 2, 2022 of the Politburo on the direction of socio-economic development, ensuring national defense and security in the Mekong Delta region to 2030, with a vision to 2045; The Mekong Delta regional planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050 of the Prime Minister and create a movement to implement the Project "Sustainable development of one million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta region to 2030", focusing on the goal of establishing Dong Thap as the "Center for green transformation solutions in the Mekong Delta region" in the new situation.

At the same time, maintain and develop the forum to become an effective public-private cooperation and dialogue platform associated with innovation to support and develop businesses and promote the green economic orientation of the Mekong Delta. Through the forum's activities, resources and markets will be connected to support the development of products, start-up projects, technology and services of Dong Thap province and the Mekong Delta and honor typical individuals, groups and units in start-up and innovation activities, forming a sustainable start-up and innovation ecosystem on the basis of science - technology and digital transformation.

With an expanded and innovative scale compared to the first Forum, the second Mekong Startup Forum in 2024 includes a series of practical activities lasting from September to November 2024.

The latest highlight of this Forum is that Dong Thap will initiate the establishment of the Mekong Green Transformation Network with the aim of forming a force, promoting public-private cooperation, contributing to the realization of sustainable development solutions and environmental protection, and green transformation. The contents and activities of the Second Forum are all aimed at helping startups promote their roles and positions; raise their voices to remove bottlenecks, propose solutions and develop new technologies to promote the value of local resources, meet the needs and anticipate the development trends of the world.

The organizers presented flowers to congratulate the 10 excellent Startup Projects entering the final round.

Also this morning, at the Forum, the Final Round of the Mekong Innovation Competition 2024 took place, the Organizing Committee selected the 10 best projects for the final round. The highlight of this year's Mekong Innovation Competition is the enthusiastic participation of young people with 136 projects from 18 provinces and cities across the country.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/dong-thap-khai-mac-dien-dan-khoi-nghiep-dong-bang-song-cuu-long-lan-ii-nam-2024-d230122.html