The event was attended by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son; Standing Member of the Party’s XIV National Congress Document Subcommittee Nguyen Van Nen; Head of the Central Policy and Strategy Committee Nguyen Thanh Nghi; Chairman of the National Assembly’s Economic and Financial Committee Phan Van Mai; leaders of ministries, localities, diplomatic representative agencies of countries in Vietnam; representatives of national leaders; along with experts, scientists and more than 500 enterprises in the fields of science, high technology, and innovation.
On the side of Ho Chi Minh City, there was the participation of Secretary of the City Party Committee Tran Luu Quang, Chairman of the City People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc and leaders of the People’s Committee, departments, branches and sectors of the city.
On the international side, the Forum attracted 70 delegations from Innovation Centers and large corporations, 6 delegations from international ministries and branches, 8 delegations from international localities, 7 delegations from major international organizations such as the United Nations (UN), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB), 10 global Centers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR)…
The plenary session began with an orientation speech by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
3 consistent and pervasive views of Vietnam in the green transition process
Respectfully conveying greetings and best wishes from General Secretary To Lam, the leaders of the Party, State and Government of Vietnam, the Prime Minister warmly welcomes and applauds the leaders and representatives of international and Vietnamese agencies, corporations and enterprises who attended the event.
Appreciating the urgent and thoughtful preparation of Ho Chi Minh City as well as the support, attention and companionship of the World Economic Forum and all delegates gathered at the Autumn Economic Forum 2025, the Prime Minister emphasized that this Forum is not only an important international event but also a milestone opening a new promising path in the journey of development cooperation and international integration of Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular.
Analyzing the international context and situation, the Prime Minister said that the world is witnessing political polarization, economic separation, institutional fragmentation and development differentiation; global economic growth has slowed down after the Covid-19 pandemic; global trade has declined, supply chains have broken down, affecting production and business activities, reducing jobs and people’s livelihoods.
To deal with comprehensive and global issues, according to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, requires us to unite to gain more strength; cooperate to create resources; share and dialogue to consolidate and strengthen trust; together build a rich, prosperous and sustainable future; in which, green transformation in the digital age is an inevitable trend, an objective requirement, a strategic choice, a top priority for the rapid and sustainable development of each country, each enterprise and the whole world.
“Vietnam recognizes that all countries around the world are converging in the same flat world, where no country can decide its own mission and that of the world, nor can it alone solve the global challenges of the century and of humanity. Even the richest and most powerful countries. No country can be safe if another country is unsafe and unstable; no one can be safe if another is unsafe” – the Prime Minister emphasized.
The Prime Minister also pointed out three consistent and pervasive viewpoints of Vietnam in the green transformation process in the digital age.
Firstly, all development must take people, the people, and businesses as the center, the subject, the goal, the driving force, and the resource; not trade off progress, social justice, environmental protection, and social security to pursue mere growth. The green transformation process in the digital age must aim for the goal of deep, inclusive international solidarity and help people become more prosperous, safer, and happier.
Second, Vietnam is a good friend, a reliable partner and a responsible member of the international community in the green transformation process in the digital age, for a peaceful and stable environment and to create favorable conditions and mobilize the support of countries around the world to develop together quickly and sustainably, bringing strength and prosperity to each country, bringing prosperity and happiness to every person around the world.
Accordingly, Vietnam is committed to seriously implementing the millennium goals and committing to net zero emissions by 2050; ready to open the market, create a legal corridor to welcome green capital flows and green technology from international partners.
Third, resources come from thinking and vision, motivation comes from innovation and creativity, strength comes from people and businesses; we must combine national strength with the strength of the times, domestic strength with international strength, state strength with private strength.
According to the Prime Minister, to realize the above goals and viewpoints, Vietnam focuses on implementing solutions in the spirit of “open institutions, smooth infrastructure, smart governance, common practices and cooperation”. In particular, the State creates institutions with the spirit of “going early, going ahead to pave the way for development” through building legal corridors, encouraging the development of projects in the fields of green transformation, digital transformation; cutting and simplifying administrative procedures, business regulations, creating maximum convenience for enterprises and foreign investors.
There are preferential mechanisms to mobilize and effectively use resources in the spirit of “internal strength is fundamental, strategic, long-term and decisive; external strength is important and breakthrough”; harmoniously combine internal and external resources, national strength with the strength of the times; promote public-private cooperation.
Along with that, promoting the development of high-quality human resources to meet the requirements of green transformation and digital transformation; building a system of schools; perfecting mechanisms and policies to promote linkages between schools and businesses, meeting market requirements.
Promote cooperation and transfer of science and technology with the help and support of international friends and the world’s leading enterprises, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum technology, semiconductors, nuclear energy, etc.
Innovate smart management thinking in the direction of “both tight management and development creation, maximum resource mobilization for development”, change administrative thinking from management to service and creation; research, transfer and apply advanced management experiences in the world suitable to Vietnam’s conditions and circumstances.
“Vietnam is ready to cooperate effectively with all partners in the world in the spirit of “harmonious benefits and shared risks,” said the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister also affirmed that the presence of Government representatives, businesses, scholars and domestic and international organizations at this event demonstrates the will and spirit of active cooperation, the aspiration and motivation for us to together create new values, build a sustainable, inclusive and humane future for all countries and for all people. The selection of the Autumn Economic Forum 2025 to be held in Ho Chi Minh City also demonstrates the City’s commitment to strive to become a pioneering model of Vietnam in dual transformation to create a driving force for breakthrough growth, rapid but sustainable development together with the country.
Emphasizing the spirit of “3 together: listening, understanding together; sharing vision and action together; developing and enjoying together”, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh believes that with the valuable support and assistance of all stakeholders, the Autumn Economic Forum 2025 will be a great success, contributing to building a more prosperous, united, harmoniously developed, inclusive and sustainable world for all of us, for humanity and for each person.
Elevating the Autumn Economic Forum into a distinctive brand of Ho Chi Minh City
In his opening speech, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Tran Luu Quang said that the world is moving at an unprecedented speed. As the global supply chain is reshaping towards green, digital and sustainable, climate and energy challenges are more urgent than ever.
According to the head of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, the rise of artificial intelligence, big data, biotechnology, etc. is opening a completely new era of development. Science, technology, and innovation continue to develop breakthroughs, deeply and fundamentally impacting all aspects of economic and social life.
“In that context, green transformation and digital transformation are no longer trends but have become imperatives of the times, and are the key to ensuring competitiveness, energy security, the environment and people’s quality of life,” he shared.
With the consistent viewpoint of “taking people as the center and development goals”, Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular identify dual transformation as the strategic choice and top priority.
In order to successfully implement the dual transformation goal, according to Secretary Tran Luu Quang, the City has been focusing on three breakthroughs: perfecting institutions – developing synchronous infrastructure – improving the quality of human resources.
With the spirit of “dare to think, determined, know how to do”, Ho Chi Minh City has built and upgraded the Ho Chi Minh City Economic Forum into the Autumn Economic Forum. This will be an annual dialogue mechanism, bringing together experts, leaders, and businesses with “heart and vision”, to contribute ideas and suggest solutions for the development of the city and the whole country.
“Ho Chi Minh City is ready to be a pioneer in testing new strategies, a source of new ideas and a place to spread successful models throughout the country.”
– Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Tran Luu Quang –
With the spirit of “discussing together, working together, enjoying the results together, sharing the joy”, we believe that the Forum will become an effective bridge between policy makers, businesses and investors, researchers, etc. This will be a new, unique brand of Ho Chi Minh City, affirming the role of the City as a center for knowledge-based economic development – a place where pioneering initiatives meet and interact with the same goal: creating a greener, smarter, more sustainable future” – the Secretary of the City Party Committee affirmed.
At the Plenary Session, the Forum listened to reports and discussed the following contents: Towards a smart economy – opportunities and challenges; Green transformation in the digital age; Smart manufacturing and global supply chain; Megacity governance and responsibilities of stakeholders; Green transformation journey in the digital age – typical of Vietnam.
In particular, on November 26, Mr. Stephan Mergenthaler – Managing Director of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and leaders of WEF departments and centers will directly attend and co-organize activities from the Plenary Session, Parallel Discussion Session on Smart Manufacturing, Lunch and Working Session with Government Leaders, High-level Policy Dialogue Session with the Prime Minister of Vietnam.
WEF’s deep participation and companionship at this Forum demonstrates its interest and commitment to promoting strategic cooperation between WEF and Vietnam in general, as well as with Ho Chi Minh City in particular, in the coming time.
According to Vân Anh – Ngọc Huyền