Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has officially declared May 18 as the Vietnam Science and Technology Day in a bid to honour the great contributions of scientists to the national revolution, protection and development.

In his remarks at the launching ceremony in Hanoi on May 18, PM Dung emphasized that science and technology must serve as a driving force for the current process of economic restructuring and growth model transformation towards higher productivity, quality and competitiveness of the economy and convert Vietnam into an industrialized country, the Government news portal reported.

Accordingly, PM Dung urged the sector to focus realizing the Resolution on science and technology development which was adopted at the 6th Plenum of the 11th Party Central Committee.

Social sciences and humanities should be developed vigorously. Basic sciences such as mathematics, physics, life science, marine science of which Vietnam has advantages should be enhanced.

The Government leader also emphasized the importance of mobilizing social resources especially from the business circle for strengthening scientific and technological capacity in production and business.

He called for renovating the mechanisms of managing science and technology operations and quick promulgation of specific preferential policies for talented scientists, including Vietnamese and foreign scientists and experts residing abroad.

The science and technology market needs to be developed in the direction of formulating organizations which provide technical services, science and technology transfer, consultancy, and evaluation.

A national database on science and technology also needs be built to connect demand and supply on new products.

PM Dung also asked for expanding international cooperation in this field with strategic partners and advanced countries.-VNA