More than 400 people who have been involved in economic development initiatives spoke about the importance of their experiences at an one-day workshop organised on Wednesday in the southern province of Dong Nai. The participants included members of Viet Nam's city and town governments, national and international development agencies and the business sector.

The event was organised by the Association of Cities of Viet Nam (ACVN), Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and UNDP (UN Development Programme). During the workshop, representatives from Thai Nguyen, Ha Tinh and Soc Trang provinces and members of ACVN discussed what they had learned while implementing the Municipal Partners for Economic Development demonstration projects.

The projects were co-managed by ACVN and FCM with financial support from the Canadian Government. The workshop also focused on the important role of green-growth paradigms and public administration reform in local economic development.  Discussions focused on the impact of Hoi An's best practices and initiatives on eco-city development and public administration reform initiatives, as well as economic development in Da Nang City.

"In order to have a strong and enduring local economic growth, we need to define suitable models of development for each city and town," said Nguyen Quang, UN Habitat Programme Manager. "In order to make a green growth model achieve the desired effects, each locality must have suitable development strategy with a realistic vision and practical tools to draft their multi-sector investment plan," he said.

The workshop was held to encourage people to participate and contribute to the urban development process. "Learning, doing and sharing experiences will make the circle of prosperity grow for the benefit for everyone in society," said Vu Thi Vinh, general secretary of ACVN.