Development planning critical to Cần Thơ: PM   Tice harvested in Cần Thơ. The city is key hub for agricultural production in the Mekong Delta region and for the whole country. - VNA/VNS Photo CẦN THƠ - The completion of development planning is the focal task of Cần Thơ City as it is the capital of the whole Mekong Delta region, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said yesterday. Speaking during a working session with municipal officials, Prime Minister Phúc also said Cần Thơ City is one of the most vulnerable among the big cities in Việt Nam to climate change. He applauded Cần Thơ’s performance in maintaining fair growth over the last decade, especially in industry and agriculture, despite economic difficulties and serious climate change impacts. It has also ensured social welfare, created jobs, and alleviated poverty, while helping to enhance people’s trust in local authorities. The city should step up agricultural restructuring and other aspects while making the best use of natural resources as well as opportunities brought about by climate change to improve the income of farmers. It needs to become a start-up hub, especially for hi-tech companies, and encourage scientific and technological applications in business and production activities, the PM noted. He told Cần Thơ to beef up co-operation with foreign businesses to expand markets, improve the capacity of officials and attract skilled personnel, particularly Vietnamese expatriates, to help with national development. Meanwhile, it should foster partnership with other provinces and cities in Việt Nam, in the region and the world, to learn from their experience and tap into their potential. The prime minister said that more open mechanisms are necessary for the city to make breakthroughs, adding that authorities at all levels are there to promote the revamp while performing their duties. At the working session, local officials reported that Cần Thơ has advantages in agriculture, and aquaculture along with geographical locations, which is favourable for developing urban and transport facilities, hi-tech agriculture, processing industry, and tourism, in addition to support industries. In the first half of 2016, Cần Thơ recorded a gross regional domestic product (GRDP) of over VNĐ28.75 trillion (US$1.29 billion), up 6.82 per cent year on year. Production and business indexes were also relatively high compared to the same period last year. It ranked 14th out of 63 provinces and cities in terms of the provincial competitiveness index. The number of businesses in the city increased by 9.12 per cent a year. Also yesterday, PM Nguyễn Xuân Phúc visited the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta Rice Research Institute, which is based in Cần Thơ. – VNS