As the host of the WEF ASEAN 2018, which took place in Hanoi from September 11 to 13, Vietnam was responsible for joining with the WEF and ASEAN countries to discuss important issues and work out the major ideas and orientations for the development of ASEAN member nations in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), aiming to contribute to the successful implementation of the ASEAN Vision 2025 for the benefit and development of the region and each country, contributing to the common prosperity of the region and the world.
Speaking at the forum, the recommendations and initiatives raised by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc were agreed upon and appreciated by leaders of many countries and businesses.
According to the PM, the theme of the WEF ASEAN 2018, “ASEAN 4.0: Entrepreneurship and the Industry 4.0”, was in accordance with the trend of the world, while meeting the concerns and interests of ASEAN countries and being relevant to the 2018 ASEAN theme of building a “self-reliant and innovative” ASEAN Community.
PM Phuc predicted that ASEAN is no longer a workshop of the world but can become a source of innovation. The Vietnamese leader proposed new initiatives on a shared mobile network with the same prices across ASEAN, cyber-security cooperation, and cooperation in training high-quality information technology human resources. He also introduced a number of specific suggestions in terms of digital connectivity, data sharing, support for e-commerce and e-governments, harmonising the business environment, promoting the formation and connection of innovation incubators, seeking and tapping into talents, and forming an ASEAN education network and lifelong learning systems.
It is an affirmation of the vision of an ASEAN Community of solidarity, self-reliance, innovation, promoting internal strength, strengthening connectivity, and proactively and actively taking advantage of the Industry 4.0, as well as an affirmation of Vietnam’s role and position, and its active and responsible contributions to building the ASEAN Community in the context of the Industry 4.0.
The ASEAN WEF 2018 featured more than 60 discussions covering many political, economic, technological, environmental and social issues that are practical to ASEAN countries. It also gathered many heads of state of ASEAN nations, senior leaders of partner countries, roughly 1,000 representatives of multinational corporations, ASEAN companies and international firms, and near 800 domestic enterprises in Vietnam. Under the framework of WEF ASEAN 2018, the Vietnam Business Summit (VBS) 2018 was held with the theme “Vietnam – Reliable Business Partner: Connection and Innovation”. It was the first conference of its kind in the history of organising the WEF meetings in economies, and was an initiative launched by the Vietnamese side.
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Vietnamese businesses are actively integrating into the international market.
According to WEF statistics, the WEF ASEAN 2018 received huge attention from the international community. By the noon of September 13, there were 7,890 articles published on the event, an almost four-fold increase compared to that of the WEF ASEAN 2017 (around 2,000 articles). More than seven million people participated in interactions on social networks, with 13,000 posts and comments on Facebook and 90,000 online viewers of different WEF discussions. The message conveyed the most was that ASEAN countries need to catch up with the Industry 4.0 so as not to lag behind.
WEF Founder and Executive Chairman, Prof. Klaus Schwab, stated that during 27 years of organising the WEF ASEAN, the event in Vietnam was the most successful among the conferences he had attended.
Peter Vanham, a media strategist at the WEF, shared: “Walking around Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, you can feel the energy flowing from all directions. Vietnam is full of youthful power, is growing strongly, and seems to be able to make things possible. Around 30 years ago, Vietnam’s economy was still very difficult, but now the country is one of the “stars” in the group of emerging economies”.
WEF Executive Chairman Borge Brende affirmed that since 2010, the WEF has witnessed Vietnam’s amazing growth, with its gross domestic product (GDP) nearly doubling in eight years, while its export revenues have increased by nearly threefold. More importantly, the poverty rate in Vietnam has decreased rapidly, from 50% in 1990 to only 3% at present. These figures are a clear testament to Vietnam’s success in the process of steady development. Based on these results, Vietnam has developed appropriate development policies. This shows that the Vietnamese government has not “rested on its victory” and has shown no signs of complacency. And moreover, Vietnam is carrying on with its reforms to continue growing in the future.
At the conference, most of the world’s leading politicians, scholars and business leaders affirmed the success of the WEF ASEAN 2018. The host country’s specific contributions in preparing for and ensuring the success of the event in Hanoi clearly showed Vietnam’s proactiveness in its determination to rise to self-reliance in the Industry 4.0. The WEF ASEAN 2018 demonstrates the attractiveness and confidence of the business community and international investors in Vietnam’s development prospects, while reflecting Vietnam’s proactiveness and “stature” in international integration and engagement in forming and shaping the regional and global economy.
Following the success of the 2017 APEC Year and the sixth Greater Mekong Subregion Summit (GMS-6) in March 2018, the WEF ASEAN 2018 was an opportunity for Vietnam to deepen its relations with countries and partners, including neighbouring nations and strategic partners. The conference also helped enhance Vietnam’s foreign relations of openness, multilateralisation and diversification, contributing to creating a peaceful and stable environment for socio-economic development, and improving the country’s position and reputation in the international arena.
