On the occasion of Lunar New Year 2006 and at the end of the 5-year plan of national socio-economic plan, Vietnam Business Forum would like to introduce the ideas of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan presented at the Vietnam Business Forum 2005, in which he appreciated the important role and great contributions of the business community into Vietnam’s common successes.
Up to now, Vietnam has gained many achievements for the last five years of the plan as well as the unique year of 2005 alone. In other words, Vietnam has completed every task to meet its economic targets in this period, bettering expectations. The average GDP of the last 5 years topped at around 7.5 per cent. In 2005, it reached a nine-year high of 8.4 per cent. These achievements gained despite many difficulties and challenges of recent years, such as natural disasters, price hikes of world commodities, and especially, the avian flu.
Those achievements have been obtained due to the huge efforts and innovations of all industries, levels, the people, and the whole system of working, and particularly thanks to great efforts and creativeness of both Vietnamese and foreign-invested enterprises. On behalf of the Government, I would like to appreciate the role and great contributions of the business community into the country’s common successes! I would also like to express my gratitude to many foreign cabinets and people as well as many organizations that have helped us tremendously in the cause of economic development.
However, Vietnam is still facing many difficulties and challenges, in which, the backward economy in comparison to other countries is a big one. Vietnam surpassed the socio-economic crisis ten years ago and now, the main responsibility of the whole nation is to bring the country out of the less developing groups by the year 2010.
In order to successfully achieve this target, there is no way apart from maintaining a high growth rate of at least 7.5 – 8 per cent annually. To maintain this growth, the Vietnamese Government and the people are looking forward to larger contributions of the business community.
At the Vietnam Business Forum 2005, I would like to suggest some proposals as follows:
Firstly, I hope the business community will contribute more ideas into the new laws that the National Assembly have just passed so that in implementing them, we both enjoy the better regulations as well as improving them for better ones in the future. I want to mention the Laws of Business, Laws of Investment, the Laws of Intellectual Prosperity, the Laws of Bidding, and the Laws of E-transaction.
Secondly, I hope every businessperson focuses on developing their own quality of growth, not only on the quantity of transactions. There are now too manydifficulties and challenges inside as well as outside the country markets. So, to be able to compete with strong rivals in the world antenna, Vietnamese business should concentrate on improving their management skills, technology, personnel and many things related to the development of business activities.
Thirdly, I would like to emphasize that the 3 fields that we have not yet taken full advantage of. They are (i) sectors related to agriculture, forest and seafood; (ii) subsidiary industries and (iii) services.
Fourthly, Vietnam failed to join WTO in December 2005 but that should not mean we discard the aim. So, I hope foreign enterprises continue their support of Vietnam’s guidelines by their own factual actions.
Lastly, I want to notify you that in the end of this year 2006, Vietnam will be the host of the APEC meeting. On this occasion, there will be many business meetings and high level forums. As the Chairman of National Committee of APEC, I would like to invite both local and foreign enterprises to participate in APEC’s activities and support them if possible.
Vietnamese
