The Asian Science Park Association (ASPA) held their 16 th conference with the theme ‘Science Parks for a Green Economy’ for the first time in Ho Chi Minh on October 25, with 144 delegates from 20 countries and territories worldwide taking part.

Addressing the event, Vietnam ’s Minister for Science and Technology Nguyen Quan, said that the event offers a chance for businesses, especially those in science and technology, local managers and ASPA members to discuss trade and investments, as well as share their experiences.

To achieve its goal of increasing the output of hi-tech manufacturers by 40 percent out of all industrial products nationwide by 2020, the ministry will refer to recommendations made at the event before fine tuning its development strategy for hi-tech areas across the country, said Quan.

The conference will help the city learn from several other Asian hi-tech parks which have contributed significantly to the Asian economy such as Schinchu in Taiwan and Technopark in the Republic of Korea .

During the two-day event, the participants will discuss cooperation in the global business community, industrial areas and research institutes and ways of developing science parks, including human resources training, special financial incentives and environmental management.

An exhibition featuring the latest hi-tech inventions will also be held, with over 100 enterprises from Vietnam and overseas taking part.-VNA