Party General Secretary Tô Lâm holds a meeting with scholars attending the 7th International Conference on Vietnamese Studies in Hà Nội on Sunday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm on Sunday encouraged Vietnamese and foreign scholars studying Việt Nam to focus their research on the country’s most pressing challenges.

He made the remarks while meeting participants of the 7th International Conference on Vietnamese Studies in Hà Nội, themed 'Việt Nam: Sustainable Development in the New Era.'

Lâm said the strong presence of Vietnamese and international scholars at the conference reflected an important fact: Việt Nam is no longer merely a subject of study but has become an intellectual partner for scholars of Việt Nam studies.

“The theme of this year’s conference raises questions that are truly vital at this moment: How can we develop our country rapidly while maintaining political and social stability? How can we achieve economic growth without sacrificing social equity? How can we modernise without harming the ecological environment or the cultural and moral values of the Vietnamese people? How can we integrate without losing our identity in the global political, economic and cultural landscape, enabling the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s major powers?” he said.

"Rapid and sustainable development forms a unified whole. Growth only has meaning when every citizen can share its fruits in a fair, safe and humane manner, when people’s real quality of life is improved, when no one is left behind and when the future of the next generation is not sacrificed for the immediate interests of the present."

Lâm noted that "scholars are not only studying 'who Việt Nam was in the past,' but also contributing to answering the question 'who Việt Nam will be in the future'". He said this work would carry both academic value and strategic significance.

He expressed his hope that the community of Vietnamese studies scholars would continue to accompany Việt Nam not only with affection, but with scientific knowledge, evidence-based policy analysis and concrete, practical and actionable recommendations.

He wished for research on Việt Nam to increasingly connect with urgent issues including population ageing, the development of primary healthcare and comprehensive social security, ensuring energy security amid emission reduction commitments, safeguarding digital sovereignty and cultural identity in the digital space and exploring ways for artificial intelligence and automation to serve human development rather than replace humans. — VNS