General Secretary and President To Lam receives experts and scholars at Columbia University

Attending the reception, on the partners' side, there were leaders of Columbia University, leaders of the Weatherhead East Asia Institute, professors and researchers from schools and research institutes of Columbia University, US Deputy National Security Advisor in charge of cybersecurity Anne Neuberger, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper and a number of large corporations.

At the meeting, delegates all assessed that Vietnam has the potential to maintain a high-growth economy based on growth drivers such as high-tech industries, innovation and improving the investment environment.

Many opinions shared that the Government needs to play a guiding and leading role, taking infrastructure as the foundation and the private sector as the main driving force for Vietnam to promote the development of the technology sector, especially artificial intelligence. Vietnam needs to prioritize 2-3 new technology sectors to focus resources, including key investment policies for research and development to form leading high-tech industries.

Mr. Thomas Vallely, Senior Advisor on Vietnam at the Weatherhead East Asia Institute, said that Vietnam needs to quickly invest in and develop digital strategic infrastructure, especially in cloud computing and green energy.

In the semiconductor field, experts highly appreciated the development orientation of Vietnam's semiconductor industry, affirming that high-quality human resources are a prerequisite to ensure a country's solid position in the global supply chain and a good semiconductor ecosystem needs to be developed on the basis of cooperation between businesses and training and higher education institutions.

Mr. Scott Fritzen, President of Fulbright University Vietnam, proposed to improve traditional education programs in the direction of supporting students to develop the necessary skills to adapt to the rapid development of technology.

US Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger highly appreciated the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and said that the two sides still have much room to promote bilateral cooperation, especially in ensuring cybersecurity and preventing cybercrime.

Speaking at the reception, General Secretary and President To Lam welcomed the comments, sharing of enthusiasm and especially the feelings of experts and scholars for Vietnam.

With the new position and strength, the General Secretary and President affirmed that Vietnam is ready for a new historical starting point, a new era, an era of the Vietnamese people's rise; said that Vietnam will continue to synchronously and comprehensively promote the renovation process, develop the country rapidly and sustainably from the viewpoint of economic and social development, environmental protection as the center, Party building as the key, cultural development as the foundation, ensuring national defense and security and promoting foreign affairs as essential and regular with the spirit of "self-reliance, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, national pride".

Accordingly, General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized four major orientations in socio-economic development in the coming period, which are focusing on building, perfecting and synchronously innovating the country's development institutions; strongly developing science, technology, innovation and digital transformation to create breakthroughs in productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness of the economy; continuing to fundamentally, comprehensively, effectively and substantially innovate education and training, focusing on developing high-quality human resources for priority and emerging sectors and fields. With the viewpoint that promoting internal strength is fundamental, strategic, long-term, and decisive; external strength and the factors of the times are important and breakthrough factors, Vietnam persistently pursues an independent, self-reliant, multilateral and diversified foreign policy, ensuring the highest national and ethnic interests on the basis of the fundamental principles of international law.

The General Secretary and President asked experts and scholars to continue to pay attention to and strengthen cooperation with Vietnam, especially in research cooperation, policy exchange and support for Vietnam in developing science and technology.

In the presence of General Secretary and President To Lam, President of Columbia University Angela Olinto and delegates attending the reception, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet and Executive Vice President of Columbia University Wafaa El-Sadr presented a framework memorandum of understanding on cooperation between Columbia University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. VinUni University and Fulbright University Vietnam announced two memorandums of understanding with Columbia University to promote cooperation in the field of training.