Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng (right) meets World Economic Forum Managing Director Stephan Mergenthaler. — VNA/VNS Photos Dương Giang

HCM CITY — Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng received Managing Director of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Stephan Mergenthaler on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Autumn Economic Forum 2026 in HCM City.

PM Hưng thanked Mergenthaler and WEF partners for their longstanding cooperation with Việt Nam and contributions to making the Autumn Economic Forum an open and substantive platform for dialogue among governments, businesses and the scientific community.

He noted that policy exchanges, experience sharing and technology showcases over the past two days reflect the international community’s interest and confidence in Việt Nam, particularly its innovation agenda and HCM City as a key growth hub. These activities have also opened up opportunities to forge partnerships and identify new growth drivers.

Mergenthaler congratulated Việt Nam and HCM City on the successful organisation of the forum. Impressed by Việt Nam’s long-term vision and efforts to sustain growth through science, technology, innovation and a dynamic private sector, he affirmed WEF’s desire to strengthen cooperation with the country.

Looking towards 2027, when Việt Nam will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, WEF stands ready to establish a high-level cooperation mechanism to mobilise private-sector and international support for Việt Nam’s priorities, he said.

Officials at the meeting.

Thanking WEF for its effective support, particularly its cooperation with HCM City in establishing the Việt Nam Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), the Vietnamese Government leader described the initiative as timely and well aligned with digital transformation and technological trends.

He stressed that Việt Nam is pursuing strategic breakthroughs to achieve rapid and sustainable economic growth, with the private sector playing a particularly important role. Priorities include institutional reform, adoption of international standards, protection of investors’ legitimate rights, infrastructure development and high-quality human resources.

The Government leader called on WEF to continue facilitating knowledge sharing, technology transfer, capital mobilisation and connections between international corporations and Vietnamese businesses, particularly private enterprises.

He also expressed his appreciation for the outcomes of the 2023–2026 cooperation framework between Việt Nam and WEF and called for close coordination to develop and sign a strategic cooperation framework for the next period, promoting effective public-private partnerships for regional and global development. — VNA/VNS