Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addressed the WEF on the Mekong region in Hanoi in 2016 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi, (VNA) – Nearly 30 years after Vietnam joined the World Economic Forum (WEF), the WEF has become an important venue for the Vietnamese Government to hold dialogues with world leading economic groups, thus bringing investment opportunities for the country.
Bilateral meetings between Vietnamese leaders and foreign counterparts as well as with executives of world economic groups provide the chances for discussion on development directions for Vietnam’s economy, thus assisting with the country’s building of development guidelines and policies.
WEF Managing Director Philipp Roesler visited Vietnam in three consecutive years of 2014, 2015 and 2016. Vietnam’s senior officials regularly attend the WEF’s annual meetings in Davos and East Asia. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s participation at the WEF Davos Conference in 2007 and 2010 resulted in important outcomes, opening a new period of the ties between Vietnam and the Swiss-based non-profit organisation.
Last year, the Vietnamese delegation to Davos led by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc continued to deliver the country’s message on its economic prospects and resolve for comprehensive reforms and active international integration. Vietnam’s commitment to building an action-oriented and development-facilitating Government suited the conference’s theme of Responsive and Responsible Leadership. At the event, the two sides signed a partnership agreement on the development of Vietnam’s economy in the future. The WEF also approved Vietnam’s hosting of the WEF on ASEAN in 2018.
Vietnam has been active in the WEF’s activities in recent years. The two sides have expanded cooperation to other fields, such as national competitiveness, industry and agriculture.
Vietnam played an active role in the WEF’s initiatives. It was one of the key partners in the WEF’s New Vision for Agriculture initiative.
Since 2016, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has served in the coordination board of the WEF’s Future of Production System project. He also joined the ASEAN Regional Strategy Group in 2017.
Vietnam also hosted several regional WEF meetings. It put forth the idea for a WEF on the Mekong region and successfully organised the event in October 2016 in Hanoi, promoting the sub-region to world leading groups.
Besides, Vietnamese enterprises have gradually got involved in the WEF’s activities. Such groups as Viettel, FPT, VinGroup, VinaCapital, VNPT, SIG or Hoa Sen, to name just a few, have used the WEF to build their partner networks and share experience in operation.
The WEF on ASEAN will take place in Hanoi from September 11-13 under the theme “ASEAN 4.0: Entrepreneurship and the Fourth Industrial Revolution”.
The presidents and prime ministers of eight countries have confirmed their attendance at the event. The forum will see the participation of 50 ministerial-level representatives, 800 heads of regional- and world-leading corporations, as well as some 120 reporters from world and regional media outlets to cover the event.
The WEF was established in 1971 as a non-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The forum engages the foremost political, business, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.-VNA
