Meeting and working with the delegation, on the side of Thanh Hoa province, there were: Mr. Do Minh Tuan - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Le Duc Giang – Member of Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of Provincial People's Committee; representatives of leaders of relevant departments, agencies and sectors.  

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Andrew Jeffries - ADB Country Director in Vietnam emphasized that ADB and Thanh Hoa province have a close relationship for a long time. Since 1996 until now, Thanh Hoa province has received and implemented 22 programs and projects using ODA capital of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), with a total investment of about 371 million USD; in which, 21 programs and projects have been completed and put into use with a total investment capital of about 369.6 million USD and 01 project is being implemented with a total investment capital of about 1.4 million USD. 

Some effective projects, achieving great social goals such as: 

(1) Thanh Hoa city socio-economic comprehensive development project with total investment capital of about 117.9 million USD (of which, ADB loan is about 74 million USD), which was implemented in 2009, has been completed and put into use. Currently, the constructions getting investment from the project have been put into use, promoting efficiency, contributing to the socio-economic development of Thanh Hoa city. (2) Project on Development of Irrigation System North of Chu River - South of Ma River with total investment capital of about 143.1 million USD (of which, ADB loan is about 110 million USD), which was implemented in 2012 and, now has been completed and put into use. Currently, the investment works from the project have been put into use,promoting efficiency, providing water sources for agricultural production, aquaculture, daily life, animal husbandry, and rural industry in the region of the project. 

ADB Country Director in Vietnam said that ABD plans to develop a partnership strategy with Vietnam; Therefore, the delegation wants to learn and listen to the province's need for investment support so that ADB can integrate it into the plans of other provinces and have an appropriate support mechanism.

Next, Mr. Le Duc Giang - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee briefly introduced the potential, advantages and disadvantages of Thanh Hoa province. Accordingly, Thanh Hoa is located in the North Central region, the gateway position connecting the North with the Central region, convenient for traffic connection between North and South, regions in the province and internationally; it has transportation system with all types of traffic: road, railway, sea and air and there is Nghi Son deep-water port receiving ships of 5-100,000 tons, Tho Xuan airport, with a modern terminal planned to be an international airport.

Thanh Hoa has a natural area of 11,116 km2, ranked 5th in the country, with many kinds of terrain and ecosystems, divided into 3 regions: midland - mountainous, plain and coastal; 102 km coastline with beautiful beaches favorable for marine tourism development. With a population of nearly 3.7 million people, Thanh Hoa is the third most populous province in the country, after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; Thanh Hoa has abundant human resources, with a golden population structure with 2.4 million employees.

On behalf of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, Provincial People's Committee, Mr. Le Duc Giang, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee proposed ADB to pay attention and support investment in 03 projects that have been submitted by the province to ministries and central agencies, including: (1) Project on Integrated Flood Risk Management for Climate Change Adaptation in Thanh Hoa Province; (2) Climate change adaptation infrastructure development project to support production for ethnic minorities in the North Central and Northern mountainous regions in Thanh Hoa; (3) Project to strengthen the provision of high-quality care for the elderly and disadvantaged people in Thanh Hoa province. In addition, Mr.  Le Duc Giang, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also proposed a new project, modernizing the Southern canal system of the Bai Thuong irrigation system, Thanh Hoa province. The Provincial People's Committee also requested ADB to study and sign a Memorandum of Understanding on development cooperation with Thanh Hoa province to assist Thanh Hoa in effectively implementing the projects that will be invested in. 

Discussing the proposed projects of Thanh Hoa province, Mr. Andrew Jeffries said: For the Project of Integrated Flood Risk Management Adapting to Climate Change in Thanh Hoa Province, ADB will review and appraise it at the end of the project in the end of 2022. ADB Country Director in Vietnam hopes Thanh Hoa will stick to the project program so that it can be signed in 2022 or in 2023. 

Regarding the Climate Change Adaptation Infrastructure Development Project to support production for ethnic minorities in the North Central and Northern mountainous areas - Thanh Hoa province, ADB had preliminary consultations, so, Thanh Hoa needs to study and integrate with projects on ethnic minorities nationwide to send to ADB.

For the Project to strengthen the provision of high-quality care for the elderly and disadvantaged people in Thanh Hoa province, ADB has been considering and discussing with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to be able to implement in the year 2024 – 2025.

For the new proposed project of Modernizing the Southern Canal System of the Bai Thuong Irrigation System, Thanh Hoa Province, after the field trip, assessed this project as reasonable, ADB will have further discussion with the province.

Regarding the proposal of a Memorandum of Understanding with the province, ADB is very willing to study and sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the province in order to effectively implement investment projects.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Do Minh Tuan - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee expressed his pleasure and excitement to welcome the delegation to visit Thanh Hoa. This is an honor and pride for Thanh Hoa in general and the people of Thanh Hoa in particular. He thanked ADB for its effective and attentive support to Thanh Hoa so far; at the same time, he hoped that ADB will continue to pay more attention to invest in Thanh Hoa.

Mr. Do Minh Tuan - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee affirmed that this was a very effective meeting with a lot of useful information. Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee thanked ADB for initially supporting the proposal of Thanh Hoa province, basically, the two sides have determined a specific plan in the coming time.

For the Project of Infrastructure Development to adapt to climate change to support production for ethnic minorities in the North Central region and Northern mountainous region in Thanh Hoa, the province strongly agreed with the view and approach suggested by the Director of ADB in Vietnam. Thanh Hoa province commits to comply with the terms signed when making loans with ADB.

Emphasizing , Mr. Do Minh Tuan, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee hopes that ADB would continue to pay more attention to Thanh Hoa; because, Thanh Hoa is a large land area with a large population in Vietnam, on the rise and has a strong desire to develop. The Politburo and the Government of Vietnam also have their own resolutions for Thanh Hoa to strive to become a new growth pole in the North of Vietnam. The province hopes that ADB will continue to give more support and help to Thanh Hoa to realize the above goal and soon become one of the strong provinces of the country.