HCM City (VNA) – A youth-inspiration talk show themed “Intelligent Generation NOW” opened the 2025 Autumn Economic Forum in Ho Chi Minh City on November 25, bringing together Government leaders, international experts and Vietnamese youth to discuss the mindsets, skills and responsibilities needed in the age of AI and global knowledge.
According to the World Economic Forum, the digital era, the green transition and Industry 4.0 are reshaping labour markets worldwide. Automation, digitalisation and AI are creating pressure for workforce transformation while generating new opportunities in renewable energy, the circular economy and environmental technologies. By 2030, the world is forecast to face a shortage of some 85 million high-skilled workers.
For Vietnam, and particularly Ho Chi Minh City, the need for high-quality human resources is becoming more urgent as the city pursues its goal of becoming a regional centre for innovation and the knowledge economy, in line with Politburo Resolution 57-NQ/TW on science, technology, national digital transformation and innovation, and the 2025–2030 Resolution of the municipal Party Organisation. Skill gaps and shortages in STEM fields, however, remain a major challenge.
In this context, Vietnam’s younger generation is expected to play a pivotal role. Young people today possess global thinking, technological fluency and creativity, making them a driving force behind digital and green transformation and key contributors to enhancing the city’s competitiveness and international profile.
Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son stressed that the Fourth Industrial Revolution, digital and green transformation and the rise of the knowledge economy are reshaping global power, economics and society.
For Vietnam, he said, this is a historic opportunity to “catch up, move ahead and co-create,” and realise the aspiration of becoming a developed, high-income and prosperous nation by 2045.
He affirmed that innovation, science and technology are the only path forward. The Government is taking strong actions to build the foundations for a digital nation, a digital society and a green economy, not merely to follow global trends but to meet the demands of the future. As the country’s economic locomotive and largest innovation hub, Ho Chi Minh City is tasked with pioneering new models and mechanisms for nationwide replication.
He called on young people to learn, act, innovate with discipline and perseverance, and pursue entrepreneurship not only for profit but also to address social challenges.
Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc highlighted the city’s goal of becoming a leading centre for innovation, technology, finance and knowledge. Education and training, he said, remain the strategic foundation, supported by strong universities and effective Government–business–school partnerships. Ongoing programmes in digital governance, green growth, the circular economy and creative urban development place people, especially the youth, at the centre of every strategy.
With an open mindset, strong technological access and a spirit of risk-taking, today’s young people are not only the workforce of the future but drivers of present-day transformation. The city is committed to maximising its potential through major investments in digital infrastructure, high-quality human resources in AI, technology and data science, and a robust innovation and start-up ecosystem.
In the discussion session, Stephan Mergenthaler, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, outlined global development trends in the digital era and encouraged Vietnamese youth to embrace their role in driving the country’s green and digital transition.
Young Vietnamese representatives, including students, start-up founders, young entrepreneurs, intellectuals and civil servants, shared their aspirations and ideas, underscoring the central role of youth leadership in Ho Chi Minh City’s transformation journey./.
