Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has underlined the need to enhance coordination and mobilise resources to promote innovative ideas targeting low-income earners.

Addressing a forum held by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) in Hanoi on November 26, Dam said it is essential to turn innovative ideas into practical actions and useful products that benefit not only poor people but also the whole community.

Renovation should be a significant national task, with the involvement of the State, private enterprises and social community, he stressed.

Despite great achievements Vietnam has made during more than 20 years of renewal, the country remains poor compared to other ASEAN countries, he said, noting that it must work hard to build a national innovative system to catch up with regional nations.

Statistics show that Vietnam’s annual per capita income in 2013 reached 2,960 USD, equivalent to 3.5 percent, 7.3 percent and 18.6 percent of the figures of Singapore, the Republic of Korea, and Malaysia, respectively.

Last year, nearly 1.8 million poor households and almost 1.4 million near-poor families were recorded in the country, requiring greater efforts in eradicating hunger, reducing poverty, and improving living standard for people.

Therefore, renovation and creation are needed to be fostered in order to both benefit low-income people and create an impetus for the country’s economic growth and the realisation of sustainable poverty reduction target, Dam said.

He also called on sectors to join hands in building innovative and creative initiatives to create many products and jobs, thus contributing to fulfilling the country’s poverty reduction and economic growth goals.

Meanwhile, WB Country Director in Vietnam Victoria Kwakwa underscored the necessity to step up labour productivity in connection with poverty reduction based on the enhancement of innovative and creative capacity.

According to MPI Deputy Minister Dang Huy Dong, Vietnam has deployed many projects and programmes related to innovation such as the Vietnam Inclusive Innovation Project (VIIP), the Fostering Innovation through Research, Science and Technology (FIRST), the Vietnam Business Challenge Fund (VBCF), and the Vietnam-Finland Innovation Partnership Programme (IPP). These involved many international organisations and received domestic and foreign assistance.-VNA