HÀ NỘI – The World Economic Forum on ASEAN (WEF ASEAN) themed ’ASEAN 4.0: Entrepreneurship and the Fourth Industrial Revolution’ opens today in Hà Nội.

The event, which lasts three days, attracts more than 1,000 people including six presidents or prime ministers.

It is a platform for government leaders and Asian entrepreneurs to discuss and share their vision for the future – especially as we stand on the cusp of the Industry 4.0.

As the host and co-chair of the WEF ASEAN, Việt Nam has included many issues it believes are key to ASEAN such as innovative start-ups, infrastructure and smart cities, employment in Industry 4.0, human resources development, and hi-tech agriculture.

With nearly 60 discussions, the forum is also considered a festival for member states to promote a positive image of ASEAN countries, convey their messages about a common house of the ASEAN Community with diverse cultures, diverse peoples, strong solidarity, a shared vision and a shared identity.

This is the third time the WEF has chosen Việt Nam as the venue for a regional WEF, showing the strong development of the partnership between Việt Nam and WEF, as well as between the country and the international business community.

Việt Nam hosted the WEF on East Asia in 2010 and the WEF on the Mekong Region in 2016. This year’s event is also a chance for the country to foster co-operation with partners and attract attention and investment from the world’s leading enterprises.

It will help the country access novel ideas and grasp development trends in the region and the world, especially amid Industry 4.0, and to serve the building and implementation of socio-economic development plans and business strategies of local companies.

Hosting the event also reflects the Vietnamese Party and State’s policy of actively integrating into the world and responsibly contributing to common development and integration issues in the region. It will also help intensify the cooperation between Việt Nam and the WEF in the future.

An open forum themed ASEAN4.0 for All? and a forum knowledge lab are scheduled to take place on the first day of the event at the National Convention Centre.

During an interview with Vietnam News Agency ahead of the event, Lao Minister of Science and Technology Boviengkham Vongdara said this important event serves as a platform for ASEAN leaders to exchange ideas on the fourth industrial revolution, a hot attentive topic.

He said Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and the country’s ministers would attend the event, listen to discussions of the experts and speakers and exchange on them.

Laos will listen to discussions and the best way to apply advanced technology, especially technology of the fourth industrial revolution in developing socio-economy.

While inspecting preparations for the event on Sunday, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said this is an opportunity for Việt Nam to affirm its aspiration for a higher position. 

He said it is important to step up communication work to popularise activities relating to the meeting as well as promote the image of Vietnamese land and people. 

Attention should be paid to both the opening ceremony and related discussions, he said, stressing absolute safety during the event, with focus on health and sanitation issues. 

According to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn, six presidents and prime ministers and three deputy PMs are expected to attend the event.

Up to 970 people have registered for the meeting as official delegates, raising the total number of participants to nearly 1,200. 

And more than 300 domestic and foreign reporters will come to cover the event, he said. 

The WEF, established in 1971, is a non-profit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded in 1967. It groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Việt Nam. – VNS