On the occasion of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2018 (WEF ASEAN 2018) in Hà Nội, chairman of the city’s People’s Committee Nguyễn Đức Chung sends Việt Nam News an exclusive welcome note to all participants of the forum.

The World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2018 (WEF ASEAN) is one of the largest and most important WEF conferences in the region. Hosting the event in the context of the fast-paced and complex global economy greatly reflects the attention Việt Nam and Hà Nội have gained. This is a forum for government and business leaders from ASEAN and the region to discuss and share their visions, ideas and policy directions on important regional issues.

The event’s theme ASEAN 4.0: Entrepreneurship and the Fourth Industrial Revolution expresses the common concern of ASEAN countries and the region, and is linked to the topic of ASEAN this year of Building a Resilient and Innovative ASEAN.

We are witnessing the Industrial Revolution 4.0, which will fundamentally change the way we live, work and relate. Its size, scope and extent will not be the same as anything humanity has experienced before. The revolution will also create a premise for smarter and more efficient urban development, management and service provision to people and businesses, contributing to improving quality of life and increasing competitiveness of the economy.

Due to the great changes brought by Industrial Revolution 4.0, Hà Nội is moving rapidly to catch up with the trend. The city has prioritised the development of smart components in the fields of e-government, transport, education, health and the environment. At present, many domestic and foreign enterprises have joined forces with the city to deploy application systems in priority areas.

In addition, Hà Nội is focusing on the development of start-up entrepreurship. We have established an IT business incubator for innovative start-ups and enterprises. We have also invested in Hà Nội’s innovative start-up entrepreurial ecosystem portal to establish an information network for information sharing among all components of the city’s ecosystem.

At present, start-up businesses are formed on the basis of innovative ideas, breakthroughs, new products and services and applying the results of the Industrial Revolution 4.0.

The initial results of the successful application of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 to building a sustainable and smart Hà Nội reflect a step in the right direction for the city. However, building and developing smart cities requires the participation of all segments of society, and contributions from the private sector are becoming increasingly important in aspects such as the urban value chain, including management and service delivery to investment in the implementation of smart city initiatives. Hà Nội would like to co-operate with enterprises, scientists and all those who are working to build a smart city to step-by-step make people’s lives better.

On behalf of Hà Nội citizens, I would like to welcome all participants to the WEF ASEAN 2018 and wish you all a successful and fruitful event. -- VNS