On October 11, 2014, Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon, Counselor of the Department of State, arrived in Can Tho for two days of visits on the challenges facing the Mekong Delta. Accompanied by Chargé d’Affaires Claire Pierangelo from the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi and Consul General Rena Bitter from the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Ambassador Shannon visited Can Tho University and held a roundtable discussion with several prominent local researchers. They discussed the importance of the Mekong Delta to regional and global food security, environmental issues caused by the building of hydropower dams in the lower Mekong, pollution sources and occurrences of selected persistent organic pollutants in sediments in the delta, and environmental challenges such as rising sea levels and climate change. At the discussions, Ambassador Shannon highlighted ongoing cooperation in the Lower Mekong Initiative between the U.S. and ASEAN countries. The two-day visit to Can Tho was part of Counselor Shannon’s overall visit to Vietnam.
