(VOVworld) – A workshop opened in Washington DC this week to discuss challenges to food and water security in the lower Mekong sub-region and the role of technology.

This has been the first workshop on science and technology within the framework of the Lower Mekong Initiative, a model of cooperation between the US, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar to cope with policy and development challenges. Participating scientists agreed that it is crucial to seek and apply appropriate technologies to protect water resources in conformity with the region’s development level.

Tran Ngoc Ca, head of the Science-Technology Office of the Vietnamese embassy, said: “We should take into consideration natural conditions and the application of necessary technologies to access cleaner water sources or turn unclean into clean water sources. This is what Vietnam is targeting.”